


Set Fire to Our Homes

by TheARTboss



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon character deaths, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Slow Build, There will be Porn, Universe Alteration, growing up story, ninja fights, there is porn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-09-14 04:37:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 166,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9162328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheARTboss/pseuds/TheARTboss
Summary: Iruka wants to be someone his parents can be proud of, Kakashi just wants to do whatever his village asks of him. Between wars, missions, and staying alive, there is a lot more going on in Konoha then people might realize.A growing-up story that follows Kakashi and Iruka (and several other shinobi) through the years.





	1. Fighting Dreamers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fluffy_subtext](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffy_subtext/gifts).



The room was dark, it had a chill that seemed to settle into the bones of everyone that was huddled together. It did not matter how hard they rubbed their hands together, the warmth was completely lost. Iruka watched the mist from his breath flow through his fingers as he tried to breathe warmth into his skin, the other children remaining quiet minus a few whispers and sniffles. Dirt fell from the ceiling as another explosion went off outside and Iruka squeezed his fingers together tightly. 

Konoha was under attack. 

“Everyone stay silent.” Iruka’s teacher Yoshino whisper, despite it being so soft everyone seemed to have heard her message and all the students huddled closer together. 

She made no promises for safety, her eyes seemingly cold as they darted from the swaying light above the students’ heads to the door of their hidden room. They had barely made it to the bunker when an explosion had sent the building on top of them. Outside the door was a just another dead end and the bodies of those who hadn’t escaped in time. 

They were trapped. 

Iruka watched as Yoshino-sensei’s eyes ticked when a loud slam happened above them, her eyes going tense as she watched the light sway harder this time. The fight was getting closer.

There was a hand gripping his arm tightly and Iruka turned to see Anko staring at the light too. He put his hand on top of hers before he turned his attention to the ceiling just as more dirt fell on top of them. 

Closer. 

Mizuki sniffled next to him and Iruka wanted to reach out for his classmate, but the tension in the air was thick. He didn’t know if he would be able to move, he was almost to afraid to breath but was managing it all the same. Iruka tried to take count of all his friends who had made it and found his lip quivering when he realized they were five students short. 

Maybe they had...

“Iruka…” Mizuki sniffled again, another loud explosion made the light above them flicker in the already dark room. Everyone tensed before the flickering slowed and Mizuki grabbed Iruka’s ankle. “Who--”

“Quiet.” Yoshino-sensei was not whispering this time when she spoke to the room. She was on her feet in an instant and Iruka found himself being pulled in Anko’s arms as everyone prepared for the inevitable. 

They weren’t safe. 

They would never be safe. 

“Everyone! Out of this room, now!” Yoshino threw her arm out as she yelled, the ceiling crumbling even more as everyone scrambled to follow her directions. From one closed off room to another, dead end to dead end, but no one questioned her orders, if she was yelling it only meant one thing. 

The enemy had found them. 

Iruka’s parents had warned him about the war, it was only going to be a matter of time before Konaha’s walls were breached. The world was a desperate place with desperate men, and while Iruka had heard their warnings he had selfishly hoped that they would have been wrong. He had heard whispers of the tension between villages, of the disagreements over land and missions. 

Iruka tripped over an arm near the rubble as he made it into what had once been a room with a stairway to the outside and was now just rubble. The arm was bent wrong, with red pooling around it that lead further into the rubble but Iruka could recognize the bracelets that were still around the wrist. Iruka hadn’t been a fan of Shin as a teacher, he had been strict and no nonsense, but right now Iruka wished he had survived the explosion so that Yoshino wasn’t alone with two classes of children. 

“Anko!” Yoshino-sensei shouted and Anko managed to let go of Iruka’s arm to get to the doorway. Iruka saw their teacher pass Anko a kunai. “Just in case.”

Anko and Iruka swallowed at the same time. 

Iruka wanted to run over to his friend, to try and encourage her. To let her know that she was the bravest girl he had ever met and even though she was loud, he appreciated her help when it came the genjutsu. He almost made it a step, grabbing Mizuki’s hand for courage and because he knew Mizuki would let him hold his hand without being weird about it, but it didn’t matter because the ceiling was coming down. 

Iruka choked on the dust. 

Everything hurt. 

He couldn’t breathe. 

He must have let go of Mizuki to cover his head because suddenly he couldn’t feel his friend anymore. 

There was screaming, someone was screaming. 

Iruka shoved the dust and brick off him, gasping for air and squinting his eyes in the sudden sunlight. The world outside seemed so much brighter in the sun and snow, the January air biting into his face as he tumbled out of the rubble. He managed to get to his feet, shaking as he tried to get into a crouch and figure out what was happening. 

The screaming was coming from above ground, clearly whoever had blown the top above them had pulled the battle into the opening instead of jumping in the hole. 

Iruka heard some coughing behind him and knew that his classmates were finally coming out of their shock. If no one died from the explosion then they would be getting of the the rubble soon. He had to make sure they were safe, that the area was safe before the other students got out of the dirt. 

He was scared. 

But he had to confirm where Yoshino-sensei and Anko had gone. 

Iruka reached forward to climb the wall, now that the chunks of ceiling were creating a pathway up for him. His hands were bleeding, Iruka bit his lip as he tried not to stare at the blood around his fingertips, most likely from digging himself out of the rubble. 

He was so scared, his arms wouldn’t stop shaking. 

He was only six years old. 

It was okay that he was scared, his mom said that being scared was normal no matter how old shinobi got. She had also told him that his father was the biggest scaredy cat she had ever met, but Iruka knew better than to believe her on that front. Iruka bit his lip to distract himself from the pain in his hands as he pulled himself out of the hole. He remained as quiet as possible as he lifted himself over the edge. 

“Oh, what’s this?” A giant hand grabbed the back of Iruka’s shirt and lifted him the rest of the way out of the hole. “A little rat?”

“Iruka!” Anko shouted and Iruka saw her standing over Yoshino-sensei’s still body. Iruka couldn’t stop himself from shaking as he stared at the three ninja that surrounded Anko. He tried to remember what his dad had told him about learning his surroundings, figuring out what had happened from what he could see but all he could see was Anko’s wounds and their teacher on the ground. 

Anko was the best in the whole Academy but she wouldn’t be enough against three fully fledged shinobi. 

“The rat looks like he’s about to piss himself!” The invader closest to Anko laughed, jumping out of the way as one of her kunai passed his head. Iruka clenched his fists and grabbed onto the arm that was holding him up. 

“Don’t underestimate me!” Iruka gathered all the strength he could as he swung his leg back to kick the man holding him only to suddenly fall on the ground as the man let go of him. 

“Umph!” Iruka coughed as he elbowed himself when he hit the ground. He rolled just in time to miss a sword landing where he had been. Iruka glanced back and couldn’t help but gasp at how close it had been before suddenly he was being dragged away as the ground exploded. 

“Keep moving!” Anko shoved him behind her as she threw shuriken at the attackers. They were able to make it to a higher position with Anko grabbing weapons off the ground and throwing them at the enemy. 

“Let’s end this and meet up with the rest.” The big man that had held Iruka sighed, grabbing his sword from the ground. 

“Anko!” Iruka stared at his friend’s back as she stood in front of him. He had never felt so small with three figures looming over the both of them. Iruka could hear more fighting off in the distance and knew that it wouldn’t matter if he tried to call for help. They were hardly the only people in trouble. 

He wondered how far the invasion had been. 

He hoped his mom and dad were okay. 

Iruka watched Anko’s shoulders tense as the largest of the strangers lifted his sword in the air. It felt like the world was slowing down as the light from the sun glinted along the blade. 

Iruka had plans. 

He had dreams. 

He was going to graduate in a few years. He was going to learn everything he could about the shinobi way, and then he was going follow his parents on their path. Iruka was going to find a nice girl and have a lot of kids. He was going to be a proud addition for the Umino family and would be someone that the future could look up to. 

The large shinobi flicked his sword to the side, preparing to cut Anko down. 

Anko. 

Anko had dreams, too. 

Iruka didn’t realize his body was moving until he was shoving Anko out of the way. The sword swinging straight for his head instead of hers as she fell forward. 

“AHHHHHH!” The screams around him forced Iruka to open his eyes. He hadn’t even realized he had closed him when he had shoved Anko. 

He was… 

He was… 

“Sorry for the delay, Iruka-kun.” There was blond hair almost glowing in the sun, Iruka’s eyes going wide as he realized who was holding him. Minato smiled brightly at him before Iruka was suddenly being placed on the ground. “Let’s get that cut looked at.”

“...cut?” Iruka could feel something warm running down his cheek, like he was crying but his eyes felt dry and his face felt numb.

“Kakashi, Obito, Rin--report!” Minato shouted at his team. 

“Anko-chan and Yoshino-sensei are fine!” Obito shouted. Iruka stared at the goggled boy in a daze. He remembered Obito, he had graduated from the academy two years ago. 

“Found the rest of the students!” Rin shouted before she jumped into the hole that Iruka had climbed out of. There was a pause before, “We need a medic, now!”

“Shit.” Minato swore and Iruka realized that the only reason he was still standing was because the older man was holding him up. “Kakashi, are you done?”

“Yeah.” Iruka realized the three invaders were piled on top of each other with a small figure standing on top of them. The kid had to be a few years older than him but he couldn’t have been older than a teen. Iruka found himself staring at the blank eyes that almost seemed bored with all the violence around them. 

“Go help Rin with the other students, I’m going to get a medical team and will take Iruka-kun here to the hospital.” Before Iruka had a chance to say anything he was at the hospital. Minato smiled at him one last time as he waved down a group of doctors. “Thank you for protecting Anko-chan, Iruka-kun. Now let yourself get looked at and I’ll make sure your parents are notified.”

“Th-thank you!” Iruka shouted so that he was sure the words would come out. Iruka had so much he wanted to say to the Yellow Flash but the man was already gone. 

“Thank you.” 

\---

“To go after kids like that…” Obito grunted as he moved debris off the road. 

The fight had ended the night before, all shinobi who were available wiping out the invading force swiftly and with few casualties. Majority of the damage had been done around the school, so it seemed like most the bodies that were being carted off were civilians or children. 

One body was too many as far as Obito was concerned. 

Obito rubbed his eyes under his goggles, he hated this. 

“They might be young but they are still shinobi.” Kakashi sighed as he glanced at the sky causing Obito to tense next to his teammate. It was nearing afternoon and majority of the clean up had already been finished. “The academy has gotten softer during our time of peace.”

Obito threw a stone at Kakashi that the silver haired chunin easily side-stepped with a glare. “They were just kids, Kakashi.”

“We’re all just kids.” Kakashi bit back. 

The Uchiha hated it when Kakashi got like this. His voice was almost as dead as his expression. Obito grit his teeth together and let out a frustrated breath. 

“Not everyone should have to experience war.” Obito grew even more agitated with how soft his voice came out to be. He sniffed and rubbed his nose before meeting Kakashi’s bored expression. “Give the kids a chance to be kids.”

“Says the kid.” Kakashi scoffed. 

“Why you--” Obito clenched his fists but wasn’t able to move towards his silver haired teammate as he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“Guys…” Rin glared at both of them, making sure Obito felt her grip on him. “Can we not do this today?”

“He started it!” Obito grumbled before he blushed as Rin smiled at him. He mumbled his acquiesce to her causing to her to smile even brighter at him. 

Kakashi rolled his eyes at his teammates. Obito was an idealistic idiot, he didn’t understand that it didn’t matter if children had more of a childhood or not. Once they chose the path of a shinobi then they were soldiers and they needed to leave all the uselessness behind. 

Childhood? 

What was the point? 

“While I agree with Obito, kids should have a chance to learn to enjoy life.” Minato sighed as he put himself between his students. “Sadly, that is not the time that we live in.”

Minato took a deep breath as he let the teammates take a moment for his words to settle. He let his gaze linger on Kakashi for a moment before glancing up at the sky. The sun would be setting soon and he would need to get back to Kushina.

“That said, it is our job to not only protect the citizens of Konoha but the future as well. The fact that enemy came so close to wiping out so many is on our shoulders.” The Yellow Flash put his hands in his pockets. 

There was a quiet beat, Minato thought briefly of what it would be like when his team finally understood the will of fire. 

“When I’m hokage I’ll fix all of this!” Obito shouted with the surety of someone who had too much faith in the future. 

“A foolish dream fit for a fool.” Kakashi’s bored voice just made the statement feel sharper. 

Minato and Rin both exchanged looks. 

If Rin was a little older, Minato knew she would have been a great drinking buddy for days like these. 

“Why you--”

“War is the way of the shinobi. There will always be violence and death for those who chose to walk this path.” Kakashi spoke louder this time as he interrupted Obito. His tone silenced any additional protest from Obito. The shortest teammate turned to their teacher and gave Minato a glare. “If we’re done here, Minato-sensei, then I’m leaving.”

“Kakashi, you--” Obito started before Minato silenced him with a shake of the head. 

Kakashi just gave his team a bored wave before he turned on his feet and started walking away. 

“Just leave him be, Obito.” Minato sighed with an exhausted smile. 

“I have to head back, too. There was a lot of damage done to the shop and I was hoping to help my sisters clean up while our parents are away.” Rin huffed before patting Obito on the back and bowing to Minato. She gave them both a smile and started running off in the direction of her home. 

“Dismissed for the day.” Minato laughed as if it mattered to the group that he had. Kushina always told him he was a hard person to respect. 

Maybe he should listen to her more. 

“Hey, Obito.” Minato crouched so that he was eye to eye with Obito. He gave his hopeful pupil a giant smile. “Kakashi might be right, it is a foolish dream. But it is our foolish dream that we can share.” 

Obito smiled at his teacher and rubbed the top of his head. With a small laugh Obito ran off with a quick salute, heading back to the Uchiha estate. 

Minato took a deep breath. 

As far as he was concerned, Konoha could use a few more fools. 

\---

“Two weeks?!” Iruka groaned as he lay on his stomach across his parents’ bed. They were both going through their packs so Iruka tried to prevent them from working efficiently by covering the space that they were using. 

His mom just put a bowl of smoke bombs on his head so now he had to be still. These were her own personal brand of smoke bombs that tended to be a little unstable. 

“Kohari, take that bowl off your son.” Ikkaku sighed as he check the writing on his scrolls. 

“Icky Ikkaku.” Kohari huffed as she removed the bowl and then proceeded to tickle Iruka until the fell on the floor. 

“Don’t call me that!” Ikkaku’s face went red, then bright with embarrassment as Kohari made kissy faces at her husband while she continued her attack on Iruka. “Seriously, Kohari, you’re the reason Kushina is such a menace.”

“She’s not a menace!” Iruka finally crawled away, running behind his dad. His cheeks were flushed as he smiled at his father. “Yoshino-sensei calls her a red-hot habanero! But I don’t understand that either...I think she’s pretty.” 

“Ohoho?” Iruka’s mother cooed as she crouched by her husband, clearly getting ready to attack Iruka again. “Who gave you permission to find other girls pretty?” 

“Kohari…” Ikkaku sighed as his wife attacked their son again, Iruka breaking out in laughter before he was able to roll away and go running out of the room. Kohari was hot on Iruka’s heels, clearly staying a few steps behind just to see how her son would react. 

If she had really wanted to capture Iruka, he would be captured. 

Shaking his head with a fond smile, Ikkaku went back to his packing. He would take care of his wife’s pack as well to make sure she didn’t forget anything. 

He really was such a doting husband. 

“Ikkaku-sensei!” 

Ikkaku groaned. 

Not a moment of peace in the Umino household. 

Ikkaku made his way through the halls, turning to the entryway where Iruka was tied to the ceiling, Kohari holding the door open for Ikkaku’s old students. 

“You don’t have to call me sensei, we’re all jonin now.” Ikkaku released Iruka with a kunai toss, smirking when his son landed on his feet and took off running again. Kohari gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before chasing after their son, laughing like a maniac. “How can I help old team Ikkaku?”

“Don’t say old, sensei!” Inoichi smiled brightly. “Just because some of us have our own students doesn’t mean we don’t still need your sagely guidance!” 

“I’m not sure I would say sagely…” Shikaku sighed while Choza gave a huge grin. “Eh, sensei?”

“Flattery and disrespect, definitely the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.” Ikkaku made a long suffering face that he knew irritated his previous students before he motioned for them to come in. “Kohari is demonizing our son, so we have a few moments before she gets bored and comes for you three.”

“We thank Iruka for his sacrifice!” Choza laughed loudly before he found a seat. Shikaku gave Inoichi a nod before he shut the door to the living room and Inoichi held up his hands to seal the room for privacy.

Ikkaku eyed his students before turning to Shikaku. “Report.”

“It is as we feared.” Shikaku gave Choza a nod and the large man pulled out a scroll to hand to Ikkaku. “We know that you are taking team Kenji with you, but know that if you need us, we’ll be there.”

Ikkaku kept his face blank as he took the scroll. They were grown men and yet Ikkaku couldn’t help but see the snot nosed brats he had trained as his last genin team. He gave them all three a nod and Inoichi released the spell on the room. 

“NOOOOOoooooo!” Iruka’s laughter-filled cried died out with a whimper. Leaving only the creepy cackling of Kohari in it’s wake. 

“Your son has grown.” Inoichi sat back and smiled at Ikkaku. “Feel like an old man yet?”

Ikkaku gave him a violent smirk. “We can test to see whose bones are more brittle.”

Inoichi gave a worried laugh. Shikaku just waved all the men off. “It’s always the same with you two, keep the violence to a minimum if possible. There’s enough bloodlust in his house with the water demon Kohari, we don’t need--”

“Did someone call me?” Kohari walked in with a polite smile, Iruka visibly missing from her side with mean that Ikkaku would need to find his son before they left. He sincerely hoped that she hadn’t trapped him beneath the floorboards again. All three of his former students straightened as she entered the room and Ikkaku would have laughed but it probably would have scared the three jonin more. 

“They were just dropping off some things for the garden.” Ikkaku handed his wife the scroll that she made vanish instantly. 

“Shikaku, how is Yoshino-sensei doing?” Kohari turned her attention to the ponytailed man and gave him a knowing look. “I know things have been hard at the school.”

“My wife is fine.” Shikaku waved Kohari off. “But I’ll send her your concern. Maybe the two of you can catch up later.”

“Thank you, boys.” Kohari gave them a small bow. Not bothering to correct herself in calling them boys when they were all in their early twenties. “You should stop by more often, I would be happy to make tea and snacks for all of you.” 

“Ah...no…” Choza gave his two friends a nervous look. “We must be going, because of...that thing.” 

“Ah, yes! That thing.” Inoichi smiled at Kohari. “Send Iruka-kun our greetings. Thank you for letting us invade your home but we must be off.” 

Shikaku didn’t bother responding just got up and gave them a small wave as he walked out. His two friends bowing and following right on his heels. 

Ikkaku did smile at that, as soon as the doors were shut. 

His wife as a notoriously bad host. 

\---

He hated this place. 

Kakashi stood in the empty room, the tall windows casting a shadow across the wooden floors. Kakashi stood in the center of the shadows, almost imagining himself in a cage as he stared at the floor. He imagined that if he stared hard enough, he would still see his father’s blood. 

Weak. 

Kakashi clenched his fists, his nails biting into the skin. 

Failure. 

That was the legacy his father left behind. The Great White Fang nothing but trash and a coward. 

A drop of blood landed near Kakashi’s foot making him realize that he had cut his hand. He let his fists relax, cursing himself for being so affected. There was no room for emotions for the life of a shinobi, there was only the mission. 

Kakashi took a centering breath as he glanced around the room again, he had already gone through the rest of the rooms in the Hatake estate and this would be the last one before he closed it down for good. 

He was the last one left of this cursed line. 

The silver haired kid glanced around the room where he had found his father and huffed. It was for the best, the house was too big and it would be better for him to be in the barracks. 

Kakashi didn’t bother looking around the room anymore as he turned on his feet. He made his way down the long hall, his feet silent on the cool floors. All the rooms were shut and sealed, the house as silent as death. He made it to the entrance and found his teacher standing there with a grim look on his face. 

“Are you sur--” Minato started but Kakashi just walked by him, slipping his sandals on as he lifted the small bag of belongings. 

“I told you that you didn’t have to come.” Kakashi sighed. He was about to tell his sensei that he could make it to the barracks on his own when he felt a hand ruffle his hair. Kakashi tensed as he turned to his teacher with a surprised glance at the contact. 

“I will always be here for you, Kakashi.” Minato smiled giving the silver haired kid another ruffle before he shoved his student forward. “Now let’s move you into your new bachelor pad!”

Kakashi glared at his teacher but Minato just smiled and took Kakashi’s bag from the younger man and walking forward. Kakashi just huffed as he followed his teacher. 

And if he smiled a little under his mask? 

Well, that was only something Kakashi would know. 

\---

“Amazing!” Iruka couldn’t hold back on the awe in his voice. 

“Hey, keep it down!” Mizuki and Azusa both hit Iruka on either side of him causing the younger boy to flinch. Azusa just huffed before he turned his attention back to the school training ground. “Just be glad you’re in another class, Iruka-chan.” 

Iruka huffed before he turned his attention back as three more kunai hit their targets dead center. 

“Great job, Shisui-kun!” Yoshino-sensei smiled before she turned to the boy’s parents. “As expected from the great Uchiha clan.”

“I imagine he won’t be in the academy for very long.” The other teacher laughed, he was a round chunin named Daikoku. He was new to the teaching staff, but it seemed his students liked him. 

“Man.” Mizuki sighed, leaning towards Iruka so he was using his friend for support. “Why hasn’t he graduated yet, I feel like he’s just sticking around to make us all look bad.”

“He’s always been super nice, though.” Iruka laughed at both of his friends who were muttering to themselves. Iruka just shook his head before getting to his feet. “I’ll see if he wants to join us for tag, I bet he’s really good at it.” 

“Wait, Iruka!” Mizuki whined but Iruka had already started running to their classmate. 

Iruka didn’t really know Shisui very well but he knew that the kid tended to work on his own, or was often seen with his other cousins. He had already been at the Academy for a little longer than Iruka, but he had always seemed nice. 

“Shisui-kun.” Iruka ran past the adults and smiled at the other kid. “Are you done with practice? We were going to play and thought you should join us.”

“We?” Shisui glanced behind Iruka, and Iruka turned to see his friends blushing wildly at the attention. Iruka just grinned at his friends before turning back to Shisui with a nod. 

Shisui glanced at his parents who were frowning at both boys, despite the fact that Daikoku-sensei was still talking to them. There was a pause before Iruka saw Shisui’s mom give a small nod and Shisui smiled at that before turning to Iruka with a grin. “Let’s go!”

“Yeah!” Iruka grabbed Shisui’s arm and pulled him towards the other two. 

It would be nice to have someone other than Mizuki win at their games for a change. 

\---

So this was the war front. 

Kakashi’s arms were heavy as he stood over the body of the dead Iwa shinobi. 

Lord Danzo had ordered that all chunin were to be moved to the front of the most recent attack on the Hidden Rock. Kakashi had been pulled from his team almost a month ago and he found the direct orders on the front almost refreshing. 

Kakashi watched the blood on the ground spread until it almost touched his shoe before the dry land started to absorb it. 

He could do this. 

He was made for this. 

Made for war. To be a weapon, to be used against invaders and on missions. He knew the rules of a shinobi as if they had been carved into the stone where his heart had been. 

Every now and then he would see Minato-sensei, his teacher checking on him between skirmishes before disappearing to a different location for a different matter. Kakashi never asked about his teammates but Minato always updated him anyway. Rin was on her way to becoming a fully fledged med-nin, and Minato was sure that she would make chunin in the next exams. 

Obito was still a nuisance. 

“Kakashi-san.” Kakashi turned to look at the two Leaf shinobi as they knelt by him to make sure they were out of sight from any other enemies. “Lord Danzo wants you to lead the next skirmish.” 

“Okay.” Kakashi gave them a nod. He grabbed his father’s blade and put it back in it’s sheath. 

A shinobi must always follow their commander’s instructions. 

\---

“You don’t need to check on me, Shikaku-san.” Iruka sighed as he opened the door for the older man. “Mom and Dad should be back at the end of next week.”

Shikaku just smiled and rubbed the back of his head. “I just wanted to borrow something from your father’s office, if that is okay?”

Iruka gave the man a look as if he was considering saying no. They had gone over infiltration and spies in class this week and it had made all the students slightly paranoid. While this wasn’t unusual for Shikaku to take stuff from his dad’s office, Iruka wondered what he would do if Shikaku turned out to be an enemy. 

“Shikaku-sensei!” Both Shikaku and Iruka turned to see Kushina’s genin Aoba running up the steps to the Umino house. “Kushina-sensei is looking for you! Something went wrong with the advance team’s mission!” 

“What?” Shikaku and Iruka shouted at the same time causing Aoba to flinch before Shikaku’s eyes widened and he glanced at Iruka. 

Iruka was holding the door frame, gripping it so hard that he couldn’t feel his fingers as he stared out at Aoba. He felt like his chest was squeezing in on itself, his parents were part of the advance team. They hadn’t even been gone for a full week and something had already happened? 

“Iruka?” Shikkaku knelt so that he was in front of Iruka. “Iruka-kun you need to take a deep breath.” 

Shaking his head, Iruka tried to breathe but he couldn’t. His whole body was screaming at him. He tried again but it came out like a gasp when he felt a hand on his chest. Iruka started sucking in a breath as Shikaku squeezed his ribs and then released in the imitation of breathing. 

The scared boy managed to get three deep breaths in before he was shoving Shikaku away. He startled the man by slamming against his chest before he took off out the door. 

“Iruka!” 

Iruka didn’t stop as he sprinted. He knew that Shikaku wouldn’t be able to chase him, not with other jonin calling for him but he might send Aoba after him. Iruka ducked through a busy street, knowing that he probably made a sight to see with tears streaming down his face. 

He couldn’t…

He couldn’t lose his parents. They were all that he had. 

Iruka tripped, sliding forward on the ground and scraping his arms as he protected his face. He slammed his fist into the ground a few time as he took another shaking breathe. 

He couldn’t lose them. 

He wouldn’t. 

Iruka wiped his face as he forced himself up to his feet. He knew what he needed to do, he could go save them. 

He would save them. 

“Iruka!” Iruka paused as he saw Mizuki running towards him. His friends face was pink showing how much he was exerting himself trying to catch up to where Iruka was. “What’s going on? I saw you run by--”

“I need to leave the village.” Iruka grabbed Mizuki’s shoulders to stable his friend as soon as he had stopped running. Mizuki took a couple of deep breaths while Iruka continued. “Something went wrong with my parents mission and I need to go save them!”

“But Iruka--” Mizuki started before his lip started to tremble and he started searching his pockets. Iruka was about to ask him what he was looking for before Mizuki had a handkerchief in his hand and started wiping Iruka’s face. “You look awful.”

“Mizuki…” Iruka sighed as Mizuki wiped his face one more time before giving up. “I need to--”

“Leave the village. I get it, count me in.” Mizuki smiled at his friend and Iruka felt his eyes start to go teary again. “I can’t let an idiot like you out there on your own.”

“I am pretty stupid.” Iruka laughed before he grabbed Mizuki’s hand. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, we still need to get two more people for our team. It’s too dangerous for the both of us.” Mizuki pulled on his hair as he thought, something he had picked up during test taking at the Academy. 

Iruka tightened his ponytail and thought about it. “We need to get weapons…”

Both boys paused for a moment before smiling at each other. “Anko!”

It didn’t take long to get Anko’s place. Iruka and Mizuki ducking the windows to the make sure they didn’t get sighted by Anko’s parents before they climbed up the wall to get to Anko’s room. Iruka would be embarrassed with how much practice he had at sneaking into Anko’s place, but she often insisted that everyone meet at her place but then would sleep through the meet-up time. 

Iruka had to learn to scale this wall when he was 4 to make sure they wouldn’t show up at school late. 

“Iruka?” Anko blinked as Iruka and Mizuki crawled through her window. 

“We need weapons.” Mizuki stated without preamble, making Anko’s eyes go bigger. 

“My parents are in trouble and we’re leaving the village to go save them.” Iruka tried his best to get the point. Anko’s eyes twitched at the words and Iruka knew she had already heard about the advance team. The whole village would know soon, if people were already talking about it in the dango shop. 

Anko glanced at Mizuki before turning to Iruka, her eyes landing on the scar across his now. It had finished healing a while ago but Iruka knew it was something Anko blamed herself for. 

“I’m coming, too.” Anko stood up with a sigh. “Mizuki, go get Hayate out of his parents’ shop, and if Genma is with him then don’t say anything.” 

“But--”

“Hayate is the quietest kid in your class. We need someone with stealth and if Genma finds out then he’ll report us.” Anko pulled out two large bags from under her bed. 

“Please, Mizuki. We’ll meet at the gate in an hour.” Iruka gave his friend an encouraging nudge. Mizuki glared at Anko before nodding at Iruka and going back out of the window and running towards Hayate’s place. 

Anko opened the bags under her bed to reveal nothing but kunai and shuriken. Iruka’s eyes widened in shock as Anko smirked at him. “Now, let’s pack up.”

It took Iruka longer than he thought it would to get packs ready for his group, he and Anko ran to the gate after they were able to sneak by her parents quickly. They made it to the main gate and glanced around but didn’t see any sight of Mizuki or Hayate. 

“Do you think they got caught?” Iruka whispered to Anko.

“Caught?” Anko sniffed, “Only if those idiots were shouting out plans to the whole village. Otherwise they should have been--”

“Anko Mitarashi.” Iruka and Anko both froze at the deep voice behind them. Iruka started to realize how empty the area around the gate was. Even the two guards who ran the stall seemed to be gone. 

“Lord Hokage!” Anko tuned and did a bow as Iruka clenched his jaw before turning to look at their leader. 

“Anko, you should go home.” The Hokage stared at Iruka with an unflinchingly blank expression before adding. “Also, take the packs back with you. Iruka won’t be needing any weapons.”

“But--” Iruka started before Anko grabbed the two packs out of his hands. She gave him an apologetic face before she took off running back home. Iruka clenched his fist as he glared at the Hokage. “I need to go save my parents!”

“I already have a team on it’s way.” The Hokage let some smoke out of his mouth before he returned the pipe to his mouth. He took a few steps towards Iruka and reached out his hand to put it on Iruka’s shoulder only to have it suddenly slapped away. 

“Don’t touch me!” Iruka growled at the old man. “Those are my parents!”

“Iruka--”

“Those are my parents and they could be dead and you wouldn’t care! You and your stupid wars, you’re the one that sent them on this mission and they might--they might not come back! It’s all your fault!” Iruka grabbed his shirt as he took a ragged breath. His body was shaking with anger and fear. 

There was nothing but silence around them, and Iruka hadn’t realized he had started crying again. 

“Iruka.” Iruka glanced up at the Hokage to see a sad expression on his face. The young boy did not know what to do with such an expression and suddenly the tears were falling faster. His jaw wouldn’t stop quivering and he wanted to wipe his face but his hands wouldn’t let go of his shirt. 

“Your parents are dear friends of mine.” The Hokage placed his hand on Iruka’s shoulder, this time Iruka just shook under the touch. “I have sent another team after them and I want you to know that while I appreciate your spirit, we need you to stay here. I will do my best to bring them back to you but we need you here.”

“If...if anything happens to them…” Iruka choked out before glaring at the older man, not worrying about the tears rolling down his face. “I will never forgive you.” 

\---

“What are you doing here?” Obito flinched back from the door he had been standing in front of. His face going red as Rin grinned at him. 

“I-I-I was just--” Obito crossed his arms. “Nothing.” 

“Kakashi isn’t back yet.” Rin just laughed as made her way to her friend. She had been visiting the barracks to drop off orders from her parents store and hadn’t expect to catch Obito in front of Kakashi’s door. “Minato-sensei would have told us if he was back.”

Obito pouted a bit before he sighed. “How long do you think he can survive the front lines?”

Rin stood straight at that. “Obito…”

There was a pause between the two friends before Obito glanced at Rin and went a little pink in the cheeks. “Maybe we could go get lunch…”

“Lunch?” Rin gave her friend a once over to see his embarrassed posture as he fiddled with his fingers. She could help but smile before she nodded her head. “Sure, let’s go!”

“Really?” Obito laughed as he threw his fist in the air before he realized his reaction and corrected himself. He let out a sniff before he turned on his feet and started walking back towards the entrance of the barracks. “Eh, we shouldn’t worry about Kakashi anyway.”

Rin ran up so that they were walking beside each other and tilted her head for him to continue. 

“He’s probably annoying everyone over there with all of his rules.” Obito sighed. “They probably wanted to return him right away!”

Rin just smiled as Obito went off complaining about all the annoying things that Kakashi was probably doing. Her smiled widened as Obito glanced at her and she couldn’t help but notice the blush on his cheeks. 

\---

“Che.” 

“Watch your attitude young man.” Biwako Sarutobi shoved her son away from her as he huffed. She glared a bit before turning to Kushina who sat across from them. “This is why I don’t bring Asuma to things, he’s much more unpleasant than his older brother, Hiruma.” 

“Ignore your old lady, Asuma-kun.” Kushina laughed at the kid who was frowning at both of them. Kushina just gave him a wicked grin as she crossed her legs and made herself comfortable in her seat. “We both know Hiruma won both the looks and smarts between the both of you, so I”m sure you have a lot to be grumpy about.” 

Biwako barked out a laugh at that as Asuma’s cheeks went pink. He was about to say something when the door to Kushina’s apartment opened and a young kid with a scar across his nose came into the room. Asuma felt like he should know the kid’s name but he couldn’t place it. “Sorry I’m late!”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kushina smiled at Iruka. Biwako waved her hand at the younger boy in greeting and Iruka blinked at her before turning to Asuma. Asuma lifted an eyebrow in response and Iruka turned back to Kushina, clearly wanting an explanation. 

“Iruka, you know lady Biwako.” And Iruka’s eyes widened at the name before he did a small bow for Biwako. Asuma just huffed as Kushina continued the introductions. “And this useless lout is her son, Asuma.” 

“How did she get you here?” Asuma stage whispered at Iruka. “Don’t let her get her claws too deep, she’ll eat you alive.” 

Iruka just gave Asuma a confused glance before biting his lip and turning to Kushina. “I didn’t mean to interrupt if you have guests…”

“Don’t be silly.” Kushina shoved Iruka towards the dining room, laughing a little louder than necessary. “Everything is how you left it, if you get started now I bet we’ll be able to finish the tower tonight.”

Asuma watched the kid get pulled away before he turned his attention to his mom who was frowning. She sighed before she ran her hands through Asuma’s hair, something she did whenever she wanted to hold him despite the fact that he was her size now. “Iruka-kun’s parents are part of the advance team.”

Asuma’s eyes widened at that before he turned to give the kid more attention. 

“The Uminos have been and always will be a cornerstone to this village, ever since they moved here.” Biwako smiled sadly as her son as he grabbed her hand. Asuma was much more tactile when it came to comfort, unlike his older brother. “Iruka’s parents have been missing for quite some time. I believe Kushina is trying to distract him and keep an eye on him at the same time.”

Asuma was silent for a moment as he watched the kid put together what appeared to be a little shrine. The dark haired genin felt amused as he realized it was a miniature Uzushio shrine. His mom had made him and his brother build one when they were younger for Kushina. 

“Maybe I should help him.” Asuma felt his cheeks go pink at his mom’s smile. “I’ll have to leave soon to meet with Kurenai, Raido and Shikaku-sensei...but I think I remember how the thing fit together.”

“You’re a good boy, Asuma.” Biwako ran her fingers through his hair one last time before she let Asuma go to Iruka. 

She hoped that Ikkaku and Kohari were all right. 

For everyone’s sake. 

\---

Kakashi stared at the sky. 

His whole body felt numb and the sun seem to burn into every inch of skin that wasn’t covered in cloth or blood. 

Tired. 

He was so tired. 

Three days of nothing but fighting. He was exhausted, he wasn’t sure he had any chakra to spare, and his whole body refused to move. Which was unfortunate since there was a dead ninja above him. 

“There you are.” Kakashi felt his eyes go heavy as saw a familiar silhouette block the sun from his face. 

He tried to give Minato-sensei a greeting but as his eyes finally closed he was sure that his teacher understood that he wasn’t trying to be rude. 

He was just tired. 

\---

Iruka sat up with a start. 

His pulse was racing, and it felt like he had forgotten to breathe in his sleep. He took a long deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to figure out what had woke him. 

If it had a been a dream, then he didn’t remember it. 

CLACK

Iruka was out of his bed and on the ground with a kunai in his hand at the noise. 

Four weeks. 

He had officially been alone in the house for four weeks and Iruka knew that if his parents had returned then he would have been woken up by one of the Hokage’s men. He also knew it wasn’t any member of his dad’s old team since they had left three days ago to the front lines of the war. 

Iruka held his breath and calmed down his heart as he tried to listen to the noise again but it was quiet in the house. 

Too quiet. 

Slowly, careful to not make any noise, Iruka made it to his feet and flattened himself by his door. It was wide open, as his mom had a policy of no closed doors unless he needed some private boy time. Iruka had been so embarrassed by that talk, he had refused to shut his door even once since then. 

TIK

There. Iruka made his way to the hall, keeping his kunai at the ready. He felt his right hand tremble with the kunai and brought up his left to keep it steady. 

They were in his parent’s room. Iruka wanted to run in and see if it was someone from the hospital coming to get clothes for them, but he knew that burst of hope could kill him if it was something else. 

Iruka was not going to take the chance. 

He crept past his parents bedroom, hearing whoever was in there tearing the place apart. He glanced through the slightly open door to see a figure ripping apart their mattress. Iruka couldn’t see any identifying markers on the figure and so he forced himself to continue in the hall. 

If he made it to the yard he could call for help. 

He just had to make it to the yard. 

“Sorry for the mess.” A voice like oil spoke by the door and Iruka jumped as he realized a figure had been standing there. “Hano likes to throw things.”

Iruka hadn’t heard the other man at all. He flattened himself against the wall behind him and glanced at the door that was on the other side of the oily man. 

The man chuckled. “How old are you?”

Iruka didn’t say anything as he glanced around. Maybe he could make it to the window at the other end of the hall. He could go ahead and scream but if Hano came out of his parents bedroom then he would be cut off on both sides. 

“Do you speak?” The oily man bit out, sounding more annoyed this time and Iruka tensed. The man gave Iruka a once over before smirking. “Maybe you know where to find what we’re looking for.”

Fuck it. Iruka threw his kunai at the oily man and took off down the hall. Not bothering to be silent as he focused on speed. “HELP! HEL-”

“Eiji, what-” Hano popped out of Iruka’s parents room and Iruka was able to elbow him in the stomach sending them both to the ground. 

Iruka found his footing and kept running, hoping his parents wouldn’t be too mad about the window as he jump against it, sending glass everywhere as he rolled down the hill in their backyard. Glass bit into his skin but Iruka didn’t let his body stop as he saw three kunai hit the ground right after him. 

He was about to shout again before suddenly he was doubled over with another man dressed in black standing over him. Iruka gasped in pain before the man kicked him back towards the house. 

“Two idiots can’t handle one kid.” The man growled. Iruka was still trying to get the world to stop spinning when he felt himself being lifted off the ground and taken back towards the house. “Hano, Eiji, hurry before reinforcements show up. I guarantee that someone heard that.”

“Yes, Nao.” Both men bit out before getting back to ransacking the place. 

Nao threw Iruka on the ground as soon as they were back in the house. Iruka coughed and curled in on himself. There was something wrong with his ribs and he didn’t want to get hit again. He sucked in a ragged breath as his head rolled on the ground. 

He tried to get a good look at his attackers but the world was fuzzy. 

“Oho? What do we have here?” A booming voice sang from the window that was more like a hole in the side of the house now. Iruka tried to move but the world started spinning again. 

“Attack!” He heard one of the bad men yell, Iruka took a deep breath as he forced himself to pull himself up on the wall. He was able to get one eye open just in time to see a white haired man send all three attackers out the window. 

The man laughed with glee as he followed them. 

Iruka could hear fighting happening outside. He took another deep breath, ignoring the pain in his ribs as he forced himself up on his feet. He kept a good grip on the wall as he made his way down the hall. 

Maybe he could call for help while the stranger took care of the invaders. 

“You must be Ikkaku’s boy.” Iruka blinked slowly at the white haired man in front of him. The man frowned as he tipped Iruka’s chin up to get a better look, Iruka flinched at the action. “Don’t worry, the ANBU got those men...but I should probably take you to a hospital.”

“Please…” Iruka groaned causing the older man to smile. 

“Can’t have your old man yelling at me when he gets back. Ikkaku holds a grudge worse than his demon wife.” The man chuckled as he lifted Iruka gently in his arms. “It would be undignified to have one of the legendary sennin being yelled at by a doddering old man.”

“You’re old.” Iruka mumbled, trying to defend his dad but as the adrenalin was leaving him, he could feel each piece of glass in his skin. 

“Haha!” The man laughed before jumping towards the hospital. “Jiraiya, an old man? I’m nothing if youthful and filled with vigor!” 

Iruka would have made a face at that if he hadn’t of blacked out in the man’s arms. Jiraiya handed him over to the hospital, knowing that they had been waiting for them after the ANBU had gotten the invaders. 

Jiraiya sighed as he watched the young boy be carted off before he turned to see his teacher with a serious expression on his face. 

“They didn’t find anything.” Jiraiya spoke softly as he stepped next to his teacher. The Hokage acknowledged him with a nod. “I’m glad I heard the kid yell as I was leaving.”

The Hokage inhaled some smoke before letting it leave his lips slowly. “So am I.”

There was a pause before the Hokage turned to his former student. “My teams haven’t been able to find Ikkaku anywhere, though we just located Kohari. She’s refusing to leave the mission and return home until she has he husband in her arms…”

“Glad to know she hasn’t changed.” Jiraiya smirked. “I would suggest having a guard watching over the house and the boy until they get back. He might not know everything but with his parents still out there he could be used to pressure them.”

“This won’t happen again.” The Hokage spoke gravely before taking another breath and patting Jiraiya on the arm. “Safe travels.”

“Thank you, HIruzen-sensei.”

\---

Teuchi sighed as he unrolled the cloth for his sign. 

13 years of ramen was nothing to scoff at but he was starting to feel like an old man. Or maybe it was the fact that is was Ayame’s first birthday and Teuchi couldn’t help but want to spend the day cooing at his little princess. 

“Husband!” Teuchi smiled as his wife pushed the flaps aside so that she could walk into the stand. 

When Teuchi had found himself at the gates of Konoha, he had been seven and desperate for a home. His whole village had burned down due to fighting between two small ninja clans but when he had made it to Konoha with no family and no belongings, he had known that he had found a place to call home and to build again. 

“Sayori, my love.” Teuchi gave his wife a kiss before he kissed his daughter’s head. “How is our princess?”

“Heavy.” Sayuri laughed as she handed their daughter to Teuchi. “I wanted to see how we were doing on produce before I ran to the market...maybe grab some flowers to freshen the place up?” 

“Anything you want.” Teuchi laughed as his wife started checking the kitchen. He had already been up for hours to make the noodles for the day and while he missed the days that they worked the kitchen together, he was glad that his wife had more time to spend with their daughter while he was serving the noble citizens of Konoha. 

“Open?” Teuchi smiled at the voice and turned to see Iruka smiling at him. Short enough that he didn’t need to move the flap that much to be seen. 

“Iruka-kun!” Teuchi and his wife smiled together, even Ayame giggled as he stared at her dad’s chin. 

Iruka blushed at the greeting before turning slightly to glance behind him. He waved at some people in the distance and it was only a moment before Iruka’s two friends that came with him popped their heads under the flap. Mizuki was the friend that Teuchi recognized the most, but the girl with the purple hair he couldn’t name. 

“Yugao-chan didn’t think you would be open this early!” Iruka smiled brightly. “But Mizuki and I know your schedule better than anyone!”

“That you do!” Teuchi laughed again as he made his way back behind the counter. He handed his wife their daughter before reaching for his apron. He smiled brightly at the three kids. “I’m guessing the Academy is still out?”

“Yeah.” Yugao sighed as she slumped on the counter. “Our teachers got pulled into the war for a bit, so until they come back or new teachers are assigned, the school is closed.”

“It’s not that bad!” Mizuki gave Iruka a mischievous smile. “We have a lot more time to work on our own instead of being held behind!”

Iruka rubbed his scar at his friend, something Teuchi recognized as when Iruka was uncomfortable. The older man was about to ask about the kids parents and forced himself to bite his tongue. 

Last he heard, it was now officially two months and neither had returned to the village. 

Iruka seemed fine, though. He was a little paler but he still seemed to the be the friendly polite boy that Teuchi had met when he was just a baby. The Ramen stand owner sincerely hoped that the Uminos would make it back in town soon. He would have to yell at both of them for leaving their son with so much worry. 

“I”m off to the market, darling!” Sayori waved at her husband. Teuchi made a kissy face at her laughing as the kids all groaned and mumbled gross. 

“Now, three bowls coming up!” Teuchi started his well learned dance with a smile as the children continued to talk amongst themselves. 

“I heard another party was going to be returning today, so the front gate might be open if you want stand by and see who's coming and going?” Yugao smiled at both the boys and Mizuki blushed. 

Iruka just shook his head. “They just finished fixing the house so I’ll probably spend the rest of the day cleaning.” 

Mizuki pouted at this. “Maybe we can do some pranks later?”

“Pranks?” Teuchi and the children all glanced back to see who was coming in the ramen stand. It was three kids, they all appeared to be preteens. “Don’t let Asuma hear you, he might have to report you.”

“Shut it, Kurenai.” Asuma scoffed as he frowned at the kids. “You guys should be careful who you prank though, people are on edge right now.”

“Oh to be young!” The flamboyant man with a scarf sighed dramatically. 

“Gai, we’re all young here.” Asuma groaned before he made his way to the counter. “Got a nice crowd this morning, Teuchi-san.” 

“After my 20 years of living in Konoha, I have learned the importance of being available at odd hours.” Teuchi laughed as he reached over to ruffle Asuma’s hair just to see the indignant look on the young man’s face. “Almost done with the first three and then you guys will be up!”

Teuchi handed the three bowls of ramen over to the first three and the kids all made delighted noises that could have been thanks before they dove in. Teuchi just smiled before he moved to the next batch. 

“I heard that Kakashi was going to be back today.” Kurenai turned to Gai. 

“Yes! My eternal rival and his cool demeanor should be back as soon as the gates open.” Gai slumped dramatically on the counter. “But then he has another mission with his team and they are leaving right away.”

“Wooo.” Asuma let out a breath. “I’m glad I’m not a genius, sounds like a pain.”

“Don’t worry, Gai, we can still make sure to say hi to him.” Kurenai gave her friend a pat on the back. “I believe our teachers will be back today and so that means out few days of rest are over.”

“Don’t remind me.” Asuma slumped down like Gai had, both of them oddly mirroring each other. “Shikaku-sensei is a pain.” 

Teuchi just laughed as he placed the bowls in front of the older kids. 

He hated this war, hated seeing his home like this. He thought the second shinobi war had been enough for his lifetime but Teuchi was just a ramen stand owner. What did he truly know of shinobi and their politics. 

“Eat up, everyone!” Teuchi laughed as he started to clean his dishes to prepare for the next customer. 

Maybe he would find time to go by the shrine today and pray for these children. Teuchi nodded to himself, to these children and all the children in Konoha like his Ayame. He would pray for their futures. 

\---

“How long have they had him?” Minato glanced at the ANBU on the other side of the table before turning his attention to Hiashi and his brother, Hizashi. “From what we were told, the mission went sideways over two months ago.”

“Three weeks.” Hizashi responded, staring at the woman in the ANBU mask with his Byakugan activated. He paused for a moment before continuing, clearing reading her lips for the rest of the group. “They are going to be moving him tonight and this will be our only chance to get him back alive.”

“Siren-sama has had her genjutsu activated for the past two days to get details from our captives.” Hiashi clarified for Minato who nodded as he glanced at the ANBU again giving her a nod. She nodded back. 

“My team is ready, we can be the first offense--”

“Siren-sama will be going with you.” Hizashi spoke before nodding his head and turning to his brother then Minato. “I’m sorry to say that your team and Siren-sama will be the only team going in. The rest of us have to fall back to the new border that was instated this morning.”

“There is also the chance of being found out sooner if we have too many people go in.” Minato sighed before he stood straight. “We will leave in 30...Siren-sama, how will we communicate while you’re like this or while we’re in the field.”

The ANBU tilted her head as if finding his question amusing before making the sign for “release” with her fingers. 

Minato smiled at that before he left the room. He knew that Kakashi and Rin would be fine releasing themselves out of a spell but he was worried about Obito. He would have to make sure to stick close to his team to make sure they didn’t get lost in Siren’s song. 

“Make sure you guys are ready, we’re leaving soon.” Minato grabbed his bag. “We get to work with one of the celebrated ANBU tonight, so I need all of you to be on your best game. She’s a genjutsu specialist and will not be able to keep us out of it once we hit the ground. We have to keep ourselves in reality.” 

Obito visibly gulped before glancing at Rin. She gave him a smile and he brightened up. Kakashi just rolled his eyes at their antics before glaring at his teacher. 

“Why so much effort to get one man back?” Kakashi sounded bored, but Minato knew that Kakashi was just looking for more information on the task at hand. Or he could actually be indifferent, Minato was starting to have a hard time figuring Kakashi out. 

“How could you--” Obito started but Minato waved him off. 

“That is not for us to know, but understand that Ikkaku-san must return back to the village alive.” Minato gave his team a good look before nodding. “Be outside in 10, the rest of the camp has to pack up so we’re going to have a longer distance to run back once we’ve finished this mission. 

His team nodded and Minato made it out to the hall. He found his way to the front of the building to find Siren already waiting and ready to go. He tried to give her a smile but he knew it wouldn’t reach his eyes. 

“We will save him.” Minato whispered. 

The ANBU didn’t make any movements but Minato knew she heard him. 

\---

“Mom!” Iruka collapsed on top on the woman in the Hokage’s office. He didn’t care about the other people in the room as he broke down in her arms. 

“Shhh. I’m home.” His mom’s voice was a broken whisper. There were bandages around her neck and bruising but Iruka just grabbed onto her and didn’t let go. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn’t stop the tears and sobs that were happening. 

His mom was home. 

HIs mom was--

“Where’s dad?” Iruka tried to stop the tears so that he could see his mom but she was just a blurred mess in front of him. “Is he--”

“Iruka-kun,” Iruka turned to the pretty girl with purple marks on her face. She seemed familiar. “We dropped him off at the hospital first before we came here to meet you.”

Iruka wiped his face and noticed to the two boys by the girl. The one with goggles smiling at him and the one with his face covered giving Iruka a bored glance. His mom used her sleeves to wipe his face a bit more and Iruka didn’t care at all if she babied him for the next few days. 

He had missed her. 

“What Rin, Obito, and Kakashi mean to say is that your father is fine. His legs are broken and might need to stay in bed for some time but we know that you will take good care of him moving forward. Him and your mom, right?” Minato smiled at Iruka as he placed his hand on the kid’s head. 

Iruka blushed at all of the attention, ignoring how his mom made an amused noise as she tugged him closer. Iruka nodded at Minato before replying. “Of course!” 

Iruka grabbed his mom’s hand as he stood upright and have the small group a bow. “Minato-sensei, Rin-san, Obito-san, Kakashi-san, thank you for bringing my family home.” 

This time was it the Hokage’s pleasure to watch team Minato go pink at Iruka’s thanks. The Hokage smirked to himself as even Minato rubbed his cheek in embarrassment. Kakashi seemed unsure of how to respond and was looking at his teacher for guidance while Obito was smiling just as brightly back at Iruka. 

“Obito-san, I like it!” Obito laughed before he grabbed Iruka’s shoulder. “You’re welcome!” 

Iruka’s eyes seem to light up at that as he smiled even brighter. 

“We should go check on your father.” Kohari’s voice was voice was almost lost in Obito’s laugh but clearly Iruka was honed in on anything his mom did. He was back at her side in an instant and nodded. 

Kohari gave the Hokage a small bow, team Minato a nod, before she limped out of the room with Iruka helping her along the way. 

Iruka could fight the smile off of his face as his mom smiled back at him. 

They were home. 

\---

Kakashi stared at the ceiling to his apartment in the barracks. 

The studio apartments were small, and clearly hadn’t been updated since they were first built. He could almost guess how many tenants had lived in this place before he had moved out of the Hatake estate.

Home. 

Kakashi shook his head and sat up. There were a few hours before he had to meet with his team, he could probably get some time into practice before they met up. 

It didn’t matter where he lived. 

Where he slept. 

Nothing mattered. 

\---

“Are you sure you’re good to be out of bed?” Iruka followed after his father, trying not to smother the man but he was uncomfortable for how fast his father was walking after having two broken legs. 

“You’ll learn that all jonin have exemplary healing!” Ikkaku laughed at his son’s unimpressed expression. 

“I’ve heard that all jonin tend to send themselves to early graves because they don’t know when to stop.” Iruka stated snidely causing his father to give out a bark of laughter. 

“Who told you those lies?” Ikkaku flinched as he hit a step too hard and sighed as Iruka got a hold of his hand making him slow down. Ikkaku was beginning to understand why Kohari had wished him luck when she went back to active missions. 

Iruka had been hovering over them as soon as he had them both home. They weren’t sure how Iruka seemed to be able to tail them both, even when they were on other sides of the house, but they could always feel his presence and if they needed anything he was there. At first, him and Kohari had loved the attention but now they were getting a bit stir crazy.

“What was so important that you had to leave the house?” Iruka mumbled as he held his dad’s palm. 

“I need to visit the graves.” Ikkaku pulled on Iruka’s ponytail to get a glare from the boy. He gave his son a soft smile. “I have to thank our friends for watching over your mother and I.”

Iruka gave his father a look before he nodded and squeezed his father’s hand. 

Ikkaku could tell that Kohari being back on missions was messing with Iruka but he also knew that his son would never ask them to stay home. This was the way of life as a shinobi, and even though Iruka was still at the academy, he already understood what being a shinobi meant. 

As a father, he was mad that he hadn’t been there for his son in those two months. Hadn’t been able to care for the boy, watch over him and protect him. 

Ikkaku shook his head and turned towards the graveyard. 

The memorial stone was off to the side and Ikkaku decided to go there first. He clapped his hands together and gave the stone a bow before he waited for Iruka to do the same. They both sat down and Ikkaku started doing the habit that he had picked up after he had survived his first war in Konoha. 

“Shikako, your son is a brat.” Ikkaku placed his finger on his long past friends name. “At the very least he is keeping the Ino-Shika-Cho formation in line but I worry about the future with a parent like him.”

He continued down the list of names. Thanking everyone he knew, before pouring water over the memorial to clean it. He paused as he finished the last name on the stone before he took a breath and bowed his head. 

“Sakumo, thank you.” Ikkaku tried not to feel bitter about the fact that his friends name wasn’t on the stone. 

Sakumo Hatake lived and died by his own choices, and the rest of the world would have to respect that. 

“His name isn’t on here?” Iruka spoke quietly in case his father wouldn’t want to answer why. He watched his father rinse water over the memorial one last time before he got up and Iruka followed suit. 

“Son…” Ikkaku spoke softly as they made their way through more graves. “Sometimes great men will not be acknowledged for their lives or deeds, that’s why it is up to the ones who survive them to keep their memories forever.”

Iruka nodded even though he didn’t quite understand. 

He was just happy to have his father home. 

\---

“It’s my birthday, come train with me!” 

Kakashi gave the redhead a bored glare before he was pulled from his seat at the ramen bar. Didn’t have a chance to voice a goodbye to Teuchi before Kushina was dragging him into the streets. 

“I haven’t seen you in ages.” Kushina started again. 

“Don’t you have your own team to harass?” Kakashi drawled slowly, letting his glare meet hers as she huffed at him. 

“I already sent them on a special mission and Minato told me that you were free today.” Kushina let go of Kakashi’s arm but they were already close to the training field so he stayed with her. She smiled brightly at him 

“What do you want to do for training?” Kakashi glanced around boredly. 

Kushina just smirked and held her two fingers up in a spar sign. Kakashi was about to protest but then he just sighed. Kushina was worse than Gai when it came to getting her way, at least Kakashi’s “eternal rival” knew when to back off. 

“First one on their butt has to buy dinner.” Kushina smiled deviously. 

“I would just buy you dinner since it’s your birthday.” Kakashi gave her a bored wave but her grin widened. 

“I would rather buy you dinner if you could actually hit me.” Kakashi glared at the jab, and Kushina made her face take a mocking tone this time. “Someone so tiny yet so great, where do you fit all that genius, Kakashi--”

Kakashi whacked Kushina in the face only to have her disappear in smoke. He turned just in time to have a boot in his face sending him to the ground. 

“Don’t get cocky youngster, you’re still a few years too early to face me.” 

Kakashi growled as he got to his feet and took a calming breath. He gave her a blank glare as she stuck out her tongue at him. 

He was going to make her eat her words. 

Or he would have. 

If he didn’t suddenly have a seven year old on top of him. Said seven year old was soaking wet, cheeks flushed from running and clearly startled to have landed on top of another person. 

“Oh my--Kakashi--oh oh oh, HA!” Kushina’s barking laughter rang across the field as Kakashi glared at the kid sitting on his chest. “Nevermind, I’ll buy you dinner. Man, tough luck.” 

“Umm…” Iruka shivered, either at the cold water covering him or the death glare he was receiving, he did not know. “Sorry, Kushina-san, Kakashi-san. I’m running from Ino-Shika-Cho, so if you could do me a favor and--” 

“Idiot!” Mizuki exploded out of the bush and grabbed Iruka’s hand, dragging the boy off Kakashi as they continued to run down the field. “Apologize later, don’t get caught first!” 

Iruka was so embarrassed. 

It was meant to be a harmless prank, switching out their sake with water while they were busy arguing with each other. And it had almost gone to plan...until Iruka had accidentally tripped a waitress who had been holding all of Choza’s food, she then fell on top on Inoichi, who jumped up so fast that he sent the table flying, which ended with Iruka and MIzuki getting soaked with the water they had put on said table. 

He couldn’t tell if the roar he was hearing was Choza’s angry call to arms or the rush of adrenaline in his ears but Iruka figured that Mizuki was right at this moment. Run first, apologize later. 

Iruka turned when he heard Kushina’s laughter at their antics, was about to give a whoop until he noticed Kakashi’s death glare. Iruka turned and started running faster, no longer worried about Inoichi or Choza catching him and Mizuki.

He was more worried about if Kakashi would come after him. 

“Crap.”

\---


	2. Fighting Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the war coming to a close, there are a lot of changes happening in Konoha. Kakashi must deal with each piece of his soul be stripped by loss and Iruka tries to best to help whoever he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CANON CHARACTER DEATHS. (There should be no surprises here)
> 
> That should be my only warning for this chapter but if I need to add anything then let me know.

“You’re late!” Kakashi growled as he clenched his fist in his pockets. 

“Sorry!” Obito glared at Kakashi before smiling at Rin and Minato-sensei. “There was this little girl looking for her cat and--”

“You are such a liar.” The silver haired chunin turn to glare at their leader. “You can’t defend him this time, sensei.”

Minato just laughed and held up his hands like a shield. “How about we just go over our mission and get started?” 

Kakashi glared at Obito, not caring how the other kid glared right back at him. Rin gave an exasperated sigh before Minato started explaining their rather simple scroll delivery mission. It seemed simple enough, but the war was still raging so each team member knew there was a chance it would go sideways. 

“Kakashi!” Rin ran up so that she was walking beside Kakashi as they made their way into the field. “I heard you were getting a jonin evaluation in a few weeks.”

Kakashi glanced her way, her cheeks were pink as she met his eyes before glancing away. He could feel Obito’s glare on the back of his and tried not to sigh about how tedious he felt his teammates were. 

“Yeah.” Kakashi kept his reply simple. 

“Minato-sensei…” Kakashi heard Obito whisper not-so-softly to their teacher. If it wasn’t for the fact that Kakashi knew of Obito’s lack of abilities, he might have assumed Obito was being loud on purpose. Minato must have responded but Kakashi didn’t hear him, because their teacher new the importance of stealth. 

“After this mission, can you help me with some training? I need to try and beat Kakashi to jonin.” Obito whispered again, Kakashi saw Rin jerk at Obito’s words but Kakashi didn’t react. 

What was the point of reacting to such pointless words?

Obito was a fool. 

If Minato responded to Obito, Kakashi didn’t hear it but when he glanced back he saw that Obito was smiling so he assumed his teacher agreed. He caught his teacher’s eyes and made sure to roll his own so that Minato would know his feelings on the whole thing. Minato-sensei just shook his head with a rueful smile. 

“We’re passing the border.” Rin whispered as a warning to them to be on their guard, in case they hadn’t been from the very beginning. 

It would take them three days to deliver the scroll, and three days to get back to the village. If Kakashi had been on his own he would have been able to cut the mission time in half but he wasn’t. 

Not yet anyway. 

He was going to prove that he was ready to be a jonin with this mission. There would be no way they would turn him down and then he would work on his new jutsu. If Kakashi had his way, he would be a jonin and the chidori would be mastered in two weeks. 

Then he could start his solo missions. 

xxx

“HIYAAAH!” Anko slapped Iruka on the back so hard that he fell forward in the dirt. “Haha, I’m so excited to be rid of you losers!”

Iruka glared from his spot on the ground causing her to laugh more. He just sighed before he got off the ground and dusted himself off. “Just because you’re a genin doesn’t mean that you are rid of us yet.” 

“Keep it down will you.” Mizuki huffed. 

“You’re just jealous that you didn’t make it out early.” Anko stuck her tongue out at Mizuki before she grabbed Iruka’s arm and started dragging him with her. “Iruka, let’s go back to my place. My mom will make dumplings for all of us!”

“I’m in!” Iruka laughed making sure their arms were locked before he grabbed Mizuki’s arm as well and started to drag his friends forward. 

Mizuki had been acting a little off the past few days and Iruka was hoping that this would cheer him up. He knew that things with Mizuki’s father had been getting a little tense since Mizuki’s mother had gone on a long mission. Iruka paused, thinking about how he had almost lost both of his parents but then shook his head quickly. His parents had sat him down for a long talk about them going back on missions and while Iruka was afraid for them, he knew that they were doing their best to protect the village. 

He would do his best to support his parents while they did their jobs. Making sure that they didn’t have to worry about him while they were gone. Just like he was about to eat all the dumplings he could to support Anko in her graduation. 

“Who is your jonin-sensei?” Iruka paused so that he was no longer dragging his friends but so they were all walking equally. 

Anko gave them a huge smile then, “Oh, you mean I didn’t tell you?”

“No, you didn’t.” Mizuki made a face at Anko before he sighed as if he was bored with all of this. 

“Don’t be like this, Mizuki!” Iruka laughed as he pulled his friend closer to him. “Think about what this means for when you graduate!” 

Mizuki paused before he glanced at Iruka. “What does it mean?”

“Since Anko already has a team, it means you won’t get stuck with her when you become a genin.” Iruka gave his friend a huge smile that caused Mizuki to laugh. 

Mizuki made a sly face as he glanced at Anko with a smirk. “That’s right, I feel sorry for your teammates having such a loudmouth in their group.”

“Why you!” Iruka let go of Anko’s arms just in enough time to duck and pull Mizuki down with him so she only got air before both of the younger boys took off running with her hot on their heels. 

“Just you wait!” Anko yelled with a vicious grin. “Orochimaru-sensei is going to train me to be one of the elite and both of you will be lucky to kiss my shoes!”

“Orochimaru?” Iruka paused, giving Anko the chance to tackle him. He smiled up at his friend from the ground, as she smiled down at him with a pleased blush on her face. “Anko, that’s awesome!”

“I know!” Anko laughed. 

“Hurry up, I want dango.” Mizuki called back to his two friends, Anko and Iruka laughed as they got up and chased after him. 

Iruka smiled as he watched his friends shove each other to get in the restaurant before Anko’s mom yelled at them both to settle down. He was going to miss her at the Academy but he was happy for her. 

Graduating at the top of her class was nothing to frown at, and having Orochimaru-sama as your teacher? Iruka shook his head, he couldn’t imagine what an honor that must be for his friend. 

“To Anko!” Iruka called out, holding the stick with his dumplings in the air. 

“To me!” Anko repeated loudly before one of her dumplings fell on her face causing Mizuki to laugh at her. 

xxx

“Congratulations on Kakashi’s promotion.” The third Hokage puffed on his pipe at the blonde kneeling in front of him. 

“I hope you congratulated him yourself.” Minato laughed at the older man. 

The Hokage just smirked which meant he had most likely been aloof with promoting Minato’s student. Minato smiled to himself, he knew that Kakashi would probably act bored about the promotion but he also knew how hard Kakashi had been working to get there. He truly was a genius, to be a jonin at such a young age, but Minato still worried. 

Kakashi had been forced to grow so fast, Minato worried about his students heart. There was some things that life experience gave a person and the Yellow Flash was worried that Kakashi had been shoved through those experiences without the chance to properly process them. 

It would be okay, if anything, team Minato would just need to work together to keep an eye on their favorite resident genius. 

“I have a mission for you and your team, it will need you to split from them for a time but with Kakashi’s promotion, I know it won’t be a problem.” The Hokage held out a scroll for Minato to take from his hands. “I believe, if we take out this bridge, we’ll be able to end this war.”

Minato nodded as he read over the instructions. 

“Minato-kun.” The Hokage started, before going quiet for a second. Hiruzen seemed to really think on the words he was going to say and Minato took a moment to steady himself. The Hokage was already a man that tended to be careful with his words, a shinobi who truly understood the importance of clarity in any message. 

The older man just made sure he had Minato’s gaze as he bit out the words. “I want this war to be over.”

Such a simple statement, yet it had so much weight in it. 

Minato nodded. 

“We won’t let you down.” Minato bowed before he left the room. 

The Hokage just closed his eyes for a moment before he took another pull from his pipe. He really hoped this would be the end of it. 

xxx

“You’re kidding, right?” Shikaku glanced at his friends Inoichi and Choza for some kind of confirmation but they seemed just as shocked at their teacher’s announcement. 

Ikkaku just smiled and shook his head. “I’m serious. I would like to begin your training for you to take over as Jonin Commander. The elders and Daimyo have already agreed, you shouldn’t be so surprised.”

Shikaku looked like he was about to protest again and Ikkaku just grabbed the young man’s shoulder. He smiled softly at his former student and mader sure that Shikaku was looking him in the eye. “Your clan is one of the pillars to Konoha. And you have been an asset since even before the war, it’s about time we make it more official.”

“But--”

“It makes sense.” Inoichi grinned at his friend. “Just accept, Ikkaku-sensei is asking so nicely.”

“This is asking?” Shikaku scoffed before he frowned as his teacher who was smiling at him. “Fine, but I still think there is a better choice.”

Ikkaku just hit his student on the back before sitting back in his seat. The BBQ grilling in the center of the table had been getting warm when he had leaned over it but it was worth it to get his way. He gave a nod to Choza who smiled before he started to dig into the cooking meat. 

“I didn’t have a chance to train under a predecessor when I was elected to this position.” Ikkaku smiled at Shikaku. “I wanted to make sure you had a better transition, since this is something that you will hold for a long time.”

“Long time?” Shikaku scoffed. “You’re still young enough to keep it, why give me more work to do?”

Ikkaku smiled ruefully at his students. “The only reason I’ve made it this long has been for my son and for Kohari. There are some things I still want to teach Iruka, things he won’t learn in Konoha.”

“You don’t talk about Uzushio much, sensei.” Choza spoke quietly. 

It was no secret that the Uminos did not originate in Konoha, Ikkaku having had shown up at the request of Mito Uzumaki after the death of the second Hokage. Kohari had shown up with Kushina, several years later, and it was then that they were able to make their family and home in Konoha. Iruka had been born sometime later and Ikkaku had been glad to give his son a home in Konoha instead of the ruins of Uzushio.

“I’m actually hoping to take him there for the summer, now that I’m retired.” Ikkaku sighed wistfully. “It would be nice for him to see where his parents came from, maybe learn some family techniques along the way.”

“As long as your wife doesn’t teach him how to yell like she does.” Inoichi laughed good naturedly. “I can still hear her yelling at us when I find a moment of silence.”

“Iruka will learn everything we can pass on.” Ikkaku stated seriously before he smirked. “He’s already gotten his mom’s helion attitude, that’s for sure.” 

There was a moment of silence at the table, minus Choza’s chewing and Ikkaku couldn’t help but feel happy in that moment. Looking at his team of genin as now fully grown men. They had survived the second shinobi war and now it looked like they were going to make it out of this third war mostly intact. 

The scars on Shikaku’s face notwithstanding.

“I expect you to report to me first thing in the morning.” Ikkaku gave his student a serious look. “Come by the house first, we have time before everything is passed over but you can grab some things from my office first. Then we’ll head over to T&I.”

Inoichi flirted with the waitress to distract from the serious atmosphere before Ikkaku made sure to bring up Inoichi’s wife Yuuka rather loudly. After that the waitress would ignore Inoichi and only talk to Choza. 

It had been a long time since they had done this. 

“Look at us!” Choza laughed. “A bunch of old men getting maudlin.” 

“Shut it, Choza.” Shikaku huffed before he smiled at his friends who were grinning at him. His cheeks pinked before he glanced away. “Thank you for your support.” 

Ikkaku and the other men laughed at the scarred-face man before Ikkaku got up. He placed money on the table before he ruffled Shikaku’s head like he used to when he had been younger. “Now I must see my darling wife and son before it gets too late.”

They waved their goodbyes as Ikkaku left his team. It didn’t take him long across the rooftops before he found himself walking up the steps to his house. He had learned not to jump on his own roof when he knew both his son or wife were home, they had gotten really good at leaving traps for him when they felt the need to pull some pranks. 

“Dad!” Ikkaku found his arms full of his son, who grinned widely at him before Iruka seemed to catch himself and took a few steps back. Ikkaku tried not to pout at that reaction, already missing when Iruka didn’t care about giving people space. The clingy adorable child he had raised seemed to be getting older. 

He truly was an old man. 

“How did he take it?” Kohari spoke softly with a smile. 

She had returned from her last mission almost unable to speak. Her genjutsu, while powerful, took a lot out of her and he knew it would only be a short amount of time before she wouldn’t be able to speak at all. It had been one of the reasons Ikkaku had talked to the Hokage about stepping down as the Jonin Commander, him and his wife both needed to retire and he was hoping to lead by example. 

With the third shinobi war coming to an end, in a great part to Konoha’s Yellow Flash, Ikkaku felt like it was finally time for him and his wife to learn a life of peace.

Now if only he could get her to leave her Siren mask behind. 

“I told Mizuki that mom was cooking tonight, so he said that we could come over for dinner after she burns it.” Iruka laughed and then yelped when a kunai almost hit his foot. 

“What was that, son?” Kohari’s voice had that edge to it that had Ikkaku glance at the cabinet where the sake was stored. 

“You heard me!” Iruka shouted as he took off running down the hall and Ikkaku couldn’t help but laugh as his wife did a few hand signs and disappeared. He made his way to the kitchen to turn off the burners to make sure nothing did burn this time before he listened to his son and wife terrorize each other. 

Iruka might being growing old enough to not cling to his father but it seemed the kid would still terrorize his mother for a short time more. 

He had never been so happy. 

xxx

Iruka stood to the side in the sea of black. He couldn’t see the front, where the pictures of the diseased would be but he could see some of his classmates or friends scattered in groups. The funeral had been delayed due to a few final skirmishes but now it seemed it was finally time to mourn all the lives lost. 

The war was over, but it come with a price. 

Iruka glanced at his parents who were holding each other’s hands, they stood straight and grim-faced as the Hokage spoke words at the front. Iruka heard the words clearly and he knew he should pay more attention but he noticed a familiar mop of dark hair disappear from the crowd. Iruka bit his lip before he turned to his father to see if his father had noticed too. 

Ikkaku didn’t look down at his son but he made sure to give Iruka a slight nod and was please when his son nodded back before make his way towards where the other figure had left to. It didn’t take long before Iruka found his old classmate sitting on a bench outside of the tower. Almost everyone was at the funeral, so it seemed like the village was practically empty. 

“Shisui…” Iruka spoke softly, not missing how his friend flinched slightly before turning to Iruka with a blank face. 

“Iruka…” Shisui whispered before his lip trembled slightly. Iruka grabbed his friend by the shoulders and smashed Shisui into a tight hug, the young Uchiha gripped the younger boy tightly. 

They weren’t close, and Iruka had no idea what it was like to lose a cousin but he knew that this was something that he could offer his friend. Shisui was like stone in his arms, Iruka almost thought he made a mistake and was about to step away when Shisui grabbed onto him. The Uchiha’s hands were like a vice-like grip on his mourning shirt. 

“I…” Iruka started, not really knowing what to say. “Obito-san was part of the team that saved my parents.”

Shisui somehow seemed to get even stiffer in Iruka’s arms. The scarred teen taking a breath, trying to figure out how he could communicate what he felt. “He gave me my parent’s back, and he was also part of the team that saved my class at the beginning of the war...I want to honor his memory by living every day to the fullest because this is the life I can have thanks to him.”

Iruka bit his lip, he knew he was messing this up. 

“Thank you.” 

Shisui’s voice was so soft, Iruka almost missed it. He felt Shisui’s grip lesson and he slowly took a step back so that he could look at his friend. Shisui looked tired, but it was clear that he hadn’t cried and Iruka briefly wondered if Uchiha just weren’t capable of tears. 

“He was…” Shisui started before taking a breath. “He wasn’t anything special in my clan.”

“He was special to me.” Iruka spoke without thinking and blushed a bit. Shisui just smiled lightly, even though it still felt sad. 

“He was special to me, too.” Shisui nodded before they heard some commotion and turned to see people leaving the tower. The service was over and they had missed it. 

Shisui watched as the Uchiha clan gathered, there were some words spoken to Minato-sensei and Rin. Iruka found himself wondering what happened to Kakashi-san but he was distracted by the sight of his parents. Iruka paused before he turned back to Shisui who was already looking back at Iruka. 

“If you ever need anything…” Iruka started. 

“Thank you.” Shisui held out his hand for Iruka to shake before giving Iruka a small bow. 

\---

Everything hurt. 

Kakashi tried to open his eyes but the second he did it was like he had memorized the room. He could see the nurse leaning over him, the men at the edge of his bed with their dark eyes glaring at him. He clenched his teeth as he closed his eyes again. 

Obito. 

“It appears that you won’t be able to turn off the sharingan, most likely because you are not one of us.” The cold voice of Fugaku had Kakashi sitting up. The stern looking man was looking down at Kakashi, his face barely concealing the resentment there. “We decided to acknowledge Obito’s last wishes and let you keep his eye but it looks like it might be killing you.”

“I’ll survive.” Kakashi grounded out through his clenched teeth, managing to open his good eye with a glare at the older man. 

There was a stare off for a few moments before Fugaku nodded. “Yes, you will.”

Kakashi waited for the door to the room to shut, the Uchiha head and his men leaving with the nurse before he curled over and fell off his bed. 

“Kakashi!” Rin was there, of course Rin was there. “Let me get--”

“No!” Kakashi pulled himself up with her help and glared at her. “Don’t get anyone.” 

Rin went silent at that, and Kakashi opened both his eyes to look at her. Almost feeling like Obito needed to see how the Rin was mourning him. How Obito’s loss was ruining all of them. 

He could see Rin’s expressions, the one she was making at this moment and the ones that she would make. Kakashi could see her chakra, how it flowed inside her and the chakra that surround them in this room. Kakashi could see where they were being watched and where the room had been sealed so that it would be hard from him to escape. 

Kakashi could feel his own chakra being pulled by Obito’s eye. 

His whole body went limp as he fell on the bed. Rin made fussing noises at him and Kakashi just sighed as the chakra drain caught up with him. 

Everything went black. 

xxx

“Pregnant!” Inoichi was standing on the table with a proud look on his face, the blush on his cheeks giving away how much he had already drank this night. 

“Must you do everything together?” Ikkaku just sighed, before laughing as Kohari got Inoichi off the table in their backyard. All three of his students had gotten their wives pregnant, while Ikkaku had known about Choza for some time, once he learned of both Shikaku and Inoichi they decided to celebrate. 

The wives all looked unimpressed at their drunk husbands as they kept to their own group away from the men. 

“I can’t believe that we’re all going to be fathers.” Shikaku still seemed as shocked as they day he had found out...several weeks ago. “Dads.”

Iruka and Mizuki just stared at the drunk adults in the backyard with a grimace. Mizuki turned to Iruka. “Adults drinking like this is just sad.”

“You’re only saying that because you can’t drink yet.” Iruka sighed before he watched Inoichi trip over a rock and fall into a bush. “But this is sad.” 

“Do you want to go to your mom’s training room and fight with her swords?” Mizuki perked up at his idea and gave Iruka his puppy dog eyes that Iruka hated. Not because they worked, they never did, but because Mizuki just looked weird like that. It always threw Iruka off. 

“Stop with the face!” Iruka shoved Mizuki away from him. “And we can’t because mom locked up all her stuff after you almost lost your toes.”

“It would have only been one toe.” Mizuki pouted. 

Someone started a fire and Mizuki and Iruka watched with interest as the adults got louder. Kohari yelling some blessing before throwing booze into the flames and making it go higher. Sometimes, when Iruka really watched his mom, he worried about her. 

She seemed a little...crazy.

His dad didn’t seem bothered so Iruka didn’t say anything as they watched the husbands and wives pair and dance around each other. Inoichi and Yuuka whispering to each other before giggling. Shikaku and Yoshino-sensei sitting back in their seats but holding each other’s hands. Choza and his wife, Raku, were dancing around the fire. Both laughing each time one of them missed a beat. 

Ikkaku and Kohari were swaying together, looking like a pair of drunkards Iruka had seen on the street one late afternoon. 

Adults were weird. 

“So this is where he is.” Iruka and Mizuki both jolted at the sight of a brunette with a senbon in his mouth leaning over the roof above them. He glanced down at the both of them. “Yo.”

“Genma-san!” Iruka blurted the name as soon as his mind was able to match the face. It had been some time since he had last seen the teen. And most of the time it was just in passing with the rest of team Choza. 

Genma didn’t say anything as he hopped on the ground and made his way over the adults. “Choza-sensei, please say that you’re not drunk. We’re supposed to be meeting at the gate.” 

“Don’t worry!” Choza laughed as he leaned on the teen causing Genma to falter a few steps. “We can be a little late, it’s a good day to be alive!”

“Sensei.” Genma’s voice was dry as he glared at the man. “Really?”

“I guess Shizune turned you down again?” Choza huffed, not seeing how red Genma’s face went at the words. “You are always no nonsense after you talk to her, I think you should leave that one alone.” 

“Sensei…” This time it came out as more of a whine and all the women laughed. 

“I always thought Shizune had a crush on that other kid…” Kohari snapped her fingers a few times as she thought about it. “Who's that other kid on your team, Choza?”

“You mean Ebisu?” Choza squinted at Kohari like she was crazy. “You can’t be talking about Gai-kun.”

“Yeah, that one.” Kohari nodded. “With the sunglasses. I thought Shizune had a thing for him?”

No one really got another word in because suddenly Genma was choking on his senbon with an expression that was begging the ground to swallow him whole. Iruka and Mizuki watched the chaos for a few more moments before deciding to go inside. 

They would definitely be better adults. 

\---

“I can’t believe you have a crush on Hayate.” Mizuki groaned as he and Iruka walked into the hospital with a basket of fruit and some books. 

“I don’t!” Iruka blushed as he glanced around the waiting room to make sure no one had heard MIzuki and his lies. “I just said that I like him!”

“Yeah, you like him.” Mizuki have Iruka a smirk. He leaned in close to his friend just to bring his point home with a smug grin. “You like the pale ghost boy.” 

“I do not!” Iruka shoved his friend away and started walking quickly down the hall, ignoring how Mizuki cackled after him. 

So what if he liked Hayate? They were friends, and Iruka liked all his friends. He just...might like Hayate a little differently. There was nothing wrong with that! Iruka just needed Mizuki to keep quiet about it before Iruka’s parents found out. His mom was already insufferable when Iruka just mentioned a classmate, if she ever learned of this then we would never have a moment of peace. 

“Hayate!” Iruka smiled at his friend before he grabbed MIzuki who was grinning like an idiot and pulled his friend into the room with him. “We brought you some fruit!” 

“Iruka wants to peel an apple for you.” Mizuki chimed in and Iruka slammed his elbow into his friend’s face sending Mizuki to the ground. 

“We just wanted to make sure that you were feeling better.” Iruka smiled with a blush as Hayate glanced at him with a slight blush. 

Hayate gave a small nod before accepting the fruit then glanced at the books in Iruka’s hands. He coughed a bit before giving Iruka a smile. “You’re dad still here?”

“Yeah.” Iruka laughed as he rubbed the back of his head, pulling his own ponytail. “Who knew that my mom’s cooking would actually poison him one day.” 

“I think you broke my nose.” Mizuki huffed as he rubbed his nose and glared at Iruka who glared right back. 

“You deserved that.” Iruka shoved Mizuki towards the door before smiling at Hayate and giving him a wave. “I have to get my dad these books but maybe I can visit after?”

“Yeah!” Hayate smiled before he coughed some more and Iruka shut the door to to the room before elbowing Mizuki in the ribs sending his friend to the floor again. 

“Man, you’re touchy today.” Mizuki huffed before he left to go back towards to the hospital exit. “Visit your dad on your own, I’m going to see what Azusa is up to since he should be back from camping.”

Iruka just stuck his tongue out at his friends back and then made his way back down the hall to where he new his dad was. It didn’t take long before he found the right door, it was partly open and he could hear his mom and dad bickering at each other. 

“What do you mean you knew there was poison in the food?” Ikkaku’s voice broke as Iruka opened the door to stare at his parents in confusion. 

Kohari just sighed like Ikkaku was being silly before pat her husband’s hand. “Of course there was poison. I’ve been putting poison in our food for years, so that you and Iruka would build a better intolerance.”

“You--what?” Ikkaku glared at his wife. 

“Honestly, honey…”

“Mom.” Iruka sighed as he placed his father’s books on the bed and gave him mom an annoyed look. “Did you just admit that your food is poison?”

There was beat before Kohari’s eyes narrowed and Iruka smirked. 

“This isn’t a bad cooking joke, Iruka!” Ikkaku groaned. “My wife, your mother, has been poisoning us for years! She’s crazy, we need to call the police!”

Iruka paused at that before he glanced at his mom, waiting for her to deny that accusation but she just shrugged. Iruka glanced back at his father before turning to leave the room. 

“And where are you going?” Kohari watched her son open the door. 

“I’m going to check my birth certificate. I’m pretty sure I was given to the wrong parents.”

\---

“He was able to keep the sharingan.” 

Anko turned her attention to her sensei who seemed to be muttering to himself. Orochimaru wasn’t usually this distracted when they were on a mission but there was clearly something on his mind. She glanced over at her teammates who were several feet ahead of them on the trail before turning to her teacher. 

“Are you talking about Kakashi?” Anko herself hadn’t spent much time with the jonin but that didn’t mean she hadn’t heard of him...or hadn’t been part of the gossip herself at her parent’s dango shop. 

Orochimaru just smiled at Anko before ruffling her hair. She tried to hide the pleased blush on her cheeks. 

“What do you think we’ll find on this mission?” Anko tried a different tactic to start a conversation with her sensei. 

“Hopefully, we’ll find the reason for all the missing people.” Orochimaru frowned a bit and shrugged boredly. “But I don’t think we’ll find anything.”

“No?” Anko was curious about that, why would he assume they would come up short?

“Don’t worry.” Orochimaru gave her another smile. “I won’t let this mission be a waste, once we hit the next town I can show you some more techniques. Have you been practicing the ones that I showed you before?”

“Of course.” Anko puffed up with pride. “I plan to have them masted by the end of the month!” 

Orochimaru just laughed at that before he turned his attention forward and watched the setting sun. “You are a fine student, Anko.”

Anko grinned at him before she turned her attention forward as well. She knew her teammates were a little disappointed in the fact that she was learning Orochimaru’s techniques so quickly while they were still struggling but she didn’t care. As long as Orochimaru was proud of her, she would do anything for him. 

He was the best sensei. 

\---

Rin sighed as she walked into the hospital, Kakashi had managed to put himself back here after one mission for chakra depletion. He was supposed to be released today but she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. She had been hoping to talk to Minato-sensei but it seemed their teacher was busy with another mission or something else. . 

She paused in the waiting room, taking a deep breath to steady herself. 

Obito was gone, she couldn’t do anything about that. Minato-sensei was an important man and couldn’t be everywhere at once, no matter how much he tried. She would have to be the one to make sure Kakashi took care of himself, it was her duty as the other member of team Minato. 

She missed Obito, she…

No. 

Kakashi was here and she would be here for him. 

“Rin-san!” Rin turned to see Iruka, the boy with a scar who she had run into a few times around the city and the occasional passing with missions. Admittedly, most of the village knew Iruka because of his parents, but he seemed to be making waves himself with his ability to make friends with just about anyone. 

“Iruka-kun?” Rin smiled at him as he ran up to her. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m supposed to meet a few friends here, one of our classmates got sick but we wanted to greet him together when he got out...but it looks like I got here a little early.” Iruka laughed with a blush. 

Rin couldn’t help but return the smile. 

Since the war had ended it seemed like the whole village had taken a breath. Konoha felt like a different place, the air was lighter and the citizens smiled more. 

Obito would have loved this peaceful time. 

“Are you meeting someone here?” Iruka glanced around her as if another person would form out of the wall. 

“Kakashi is supposed to be released today.” Rin nodded with a smile. “I’m waiting for his nurse to--”

“Oh, Rin-chan!” A young woman with dark hair ran over to Rin and Iruka. “Kakashi is going to have to stay another night. Tsunade wants to do one more night of observation before he released.”

Another night? Kakashi was going to be insufferable. Rin briefly wondered if they were going to be able to keep him in without him breaking out and hurting himself more but then she remembered who Kakashi’s main doctor was. 

No one defied Lady Tsunade. 

“Is he okay?” Rin clinched her shirt. Kakashi and Tsunade were more likely to yell abuse at each other but that didn’t mean Kakashi wouldn’t try to take the blonde out in desperation to leave these white walls...hopefully Tsunade wouldn’t have hurt him too bad. 

“He’s fine.” The nurse smiled. “You can go back and see him if you would like. You can even bring your friend.”

“Can I come?” Iruka glanced at Rin, honestly curious. “I really don’t want to intrude and I don’t have a gift...if I had known he was here I would have brought him something.”

Rin smiled at that. She gave the nurse and Iruka a nod before grabbing Iruka’s arm to direct him down to the private rooms in the hospital. Iruka gave her a smile, clearly trying to lighten her mood but Rin couldn’t return it fully yet. 

“I’m getting out of here!” Both kids jumped at the shout before Rin took off running towards it and Iruka followed on her heels. 

“Now Kakashi--” There was a loud thud then a thunk, and Rin swung the door open to find Kakashi on his stomach on the bed with Minato-sensei sitting on top of him. “Oh Rin, good timing! Help me tie him dow--Iruka-kun! Long time no see!”

“Minato-sensei!” Iruka did a small bow for the war hero before he took a step back at the glare he was receiving from the silver haired jonin. There was a bandage over Kakashi’s left eye but for someone reason is just made the one visible eye even scarier. “Kakashi-san.”

“I don’t need to be tied down.” Kakashi growled and Minato pushed his head further into the mattress with his foot. “I’ll stay another day, okay!”

“That’s all I wanted to hear.” Minato sighed like Kakashi was a particularly hard to deal with child. He got off his student who straightened up with a glare to his teacher before glaring at Rin and Iruka who were still be the door. 

“I found Iruka-kun in the waiting room!” Rin smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes and Kakashi fought the need to ask her to leave. He promised Obito to watch over her and pushing her away was only going to be the opposite of that. 

He wouldn’t take his anger out on Rin. 

He couldn’t. 

“I just wanted to--uh--” Iruka stuttered as Minato came over to the door and motioned for Rin to join him in the hallway. “Um.”

“Iruka-kun, please entertain Kakashi for a bit while Rin and I talk in the hall. Thank you!” The door shut before Iruka could do anything except for glance back at Kakashi who was still glaring at him. 

“Um, are you feel--”

“Fine.” Kakashi barked. 

“Is your eye--” Iruka tried again. 

“Fine.”

“Can I get you--” 

“No.” Kakashi continued his glare as the kid rubbed the back of his head, clearly not knowing what to do with such open hostility. He continued to watch the kid as Iruka seemed to have some sort of mental debate before taking a deep breath and sitting on the stool that was next to Kakashi’s bed. 

“This is the seal for saru.” Iruka made a hand seal before he smiled at Kakashi, who was still glaring. “And this is the seal for tora, or tiger.” 

“I know what the--”

“This is the seal for tatsu.” Iruka interrupted Kakashi with a look. 

Kakashi paused as he stared at the seal that Iruka was making, it was clearly the sign for uma and not tatsu. He gave the kid a confused look before Iruka smiled at him. 

“Is this a game?” Kakashi asked slowly and Iruka nodded. 

“Yeah, me and my friends made it during our free period at the academy. We say the wrong name of the signs, while you’re supposed to guess what the actual sign is going to be.” Iruka blushed as he noticed the bored glare. “It’s silly I know but--”

It had started after a lesson of learning how to read your opponent, learning to read the underneath of the underneath. Iruka felt ridiculous as he held his hands in another sign...why would Kakashi want to play this childish game?

“Let’s try.”

Iruka blinked at the injured twelve year old before nodding. He turned his body so that he was facing Kakashi more clearly and clapped his hand together. 

“Tora.” Iruka stated as Kakashi said “Mi.” 

They both glanced at Iruka’s hands to see the Ne sign. Iruka let out a little laugh before he clapped his hands together and they started again. It took about three more turns before Kakashi got it right and Iruka blushed at the pleased look on the jonin’s face. 

Kakashi paused for a bit before he gave Iruka a weird look. Iruka glanced around the room before looking back at Kakashi. “Something wrong?”

“I want to try something.” Kakashi stated boredly but also in a soft way that made Iruka think that whatever Kakashi wanted to try was meant to be a secret. Iruka just nodded, afraid to say anything. 

Kakashi paused as he glanced at the door before he lifted the bandages of his eye. Iruka stared at the red sharingan eye that was on Kakashi’s face. The silver haired kid flinched slightly as the eye seemed to swirl for a moment before it settled. 

Iruka was an idiot. He had heard the whispers after the war had ended, had heard their names and the story as it made it’s way around the city. He just hadn’t realized…

“Now let’s try this again.” Kakashi was staring at Iruka’s hands and Iruka suddenly felt like there was too much pressure in this silly game. He took a deep breath ignoring how Kakashi glanced at his face before staring at his hands. 

“Saru.” Iruka stated as Kakashi said. “Inu.” 

Iruka was making the Inu sign. Iruka paused as he stared at his hands before he smiled at Kakashi. “You did it!” 

“Do it aga--” Kakashi started before the door opened and Rin stared at both of the boys. She glanced at Iruka’s hands and then Kakashi’s face before her hands were on her hips. “Kakashi, cover your eye!”

Kakashi leaned out of her reach which caused Rin to yell at him more. “Why do you think you are here in the first place? Do you really want to stay here for the rest of your life because you don’t know when to--”

“Maa.” Kakashi did what he was told with a huff, falling back in his pillows. 

Rin was about to say something else but stopped. Clearly thinking better of it. She shook her head before glancing at Iruka. “You’re not late for your friends are you?”

Friends? Iruka blinked a few times before he gasped. 

Hayate!

Iruka shouted his goodbyes as he took off out of the room. Ignoring whatever Rin and Kakashi were saying as he closed the door behind himself and took off down the hall. He couldn’t help the blush that came to his face as he thought about what had just happened. 

Mizuki was going to be so jealous!

xxx

 

Teuchi smiled as his daughter greeted their newest guest. Her little uniform still slightly big for her but at the age of 4, but she would grow into it in no time. 

“Resorting to child labor?” Jiraiya laughed as he smiled down at the young girl. She smiled at him before giving a not very graceful bow and was moving on to the next customer. Jiraiya huffed in his amusement before turning to Teuchi and his wife. “I figured the both of you would wait until she was at least 6.”

“Shinobi have no right to judge us properly working folk.” Sayori sing songed and Teuchi smiled as Jiraiya pouted at his wife. “The usual right?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jiraiya turned his attention to Teuchi. “Why do you let her work the counter? She must scare off more than she brings in.”

“You still keep coming back.” Teuchi laughed at the older man. He decided to make up for his wife by pouring some sake and handing it over. “I haven’t seen you in some time, Jiraiya-sama.”

Jiraiya took a swig and let out a satisfied breath. “These books won’t write themselves, you know.”

“Books.” Sayori scoffed and Teuchi had to wave his wife off before her and Jiraiya started another argument. The last one had ended with property damage and his wife banning all ninja from their shop for three days...no one wanted a repeat of that. 

“Teuchi, didn’t you say that you were originally from the land of Snow?” Jiraiya made a pleased noise as the noodles were set in front of him. “I’ve been thinking of visiting there in the spring, what do you think?”

“If you like to be frozen, sure.” Teuchi just shrugged. “There is no spring up there, only snow. My small village was destroyed by raiders since it’s easy to get to by the water, but I haven’t been back since.”

“Ah, but now the world is at peace. Surely it can’t be that bad.” Jiraiya laughed before he noticed the looks that Teuchi and Sayori were giving him. “Or maybe it can be.”

“Old man.” Ayame pulled on Jiraiya’s sleeve to get his attention, not bothering to wonder why her parents were suddenly laughing. “I want candy.”

“Old man?” Jiraiya’s face went red and his voice cracked at that. “I’m not old!”

Ayame took a step back and squinted her eyes at him in a form of true judgement before she held out her hand. “Candy.”

Jiraiya grumbled before he pulled some sweets from his sleeves and handed them to her. She lit up instantly and have him a hug before running back to the entrance to greet people. Jiraiya gave Teuchi a put upon stare. 

“She would stop asking if you stopped carrying candy on you.” Teuchi shrugged. “Kids always know who has the sweets.”

“I can’t help it, I have a soft spot for cuties.” Jiraiya sighed before he smiled at Sayori. “I’m glad Ayame didn’t take after you.”

There was a snap and Teuchi sighed as he left the counter. He found Ayame sharing her sweets with the kids in the other stands and went to go pick her up. They could go on a nice walk and maybe the place wouldn’t have too much damage when he got back. 

\---

Iruka smiled as he walked down the streets. They had finally started learning more about genjutsu in class and Iruka hadn’t been bad at it. No one seemed to be getting it down though, except for Mizuki and Iruka couldn’t help but be excited about the fact that his friend was probably going to be at the top of their class. 

Now that Shisui had already graduated of course. 

“There you are!” Iruka halted in his steps and turned to see Kushina walked towards him with a purpose. 

“Lady Kushina!” Iruka felt his face go red...was that the right greeting? He bit his lip before he gave her a bow. “How can I be of serv--”

“You can stop that!” Kushina pulled Iruka up and started dragging him with her. “Just because he’s Hokage doesn’t mean that I’ve changed.”

Clearly, Iruka thought to himself as he was manhandled down the street. They made it a few steps before slowed in front of a tea shop. Kushina pulled Iruka inside and found them both a table before she sat down and rubbed her belly. 

She wasn’t huge yet, though Iruka had heard his mom giving Kushina a hard time about it, but it was clear that she was pregnant. 

There was a baby inside her. 

“Don’t think too hard about whatever it was that made you make that face.” Kushina laughed and Iruka flushed. “Hope you don’t mind keeping me company, I just wanted to get away from the adults.”

“I’m almost an adult!” Iruka stated defensively. He needed to become a genin, he knew as soon as he did that maybe people would take him more seriously. 

Kushina just smiled. “I meant I wanted to get away from boring people, you’re not boring, are you, Iruka-kun?” 

Iruka smiled at that, his cheeks going a little pink. He had always thought Kushina was the prettiest kunoichi in all of Konoha and while he recognized it as a childish crush, it was always nice when she smiled at him. 

“Do you have a name yet?” Iruka pointed at her stomach in case she didn’t know what he had been referring to. 

“It’s a secret.” Kushina whispered before smiling at the server who brought them tea and sweets. She took a sip from the cup and closed her eyes, clearly pleased. Iruka smiled at that before sipping his own tea. It was a little sweeter than what he liked but it was what Kushina had ordered for him so he would drink it. 

“Did you…” Kushina paused for a moment before sighing. “Did you like growing up here?”

Iruka blinked. “This is the only place I’ve ever known. It’s home.”

Kushina smiled at that before nodding. “So you’ve been happy here?”

“...yeah.” Iruka furrowed his eyebrows at that and took a moment to figure out what she was asking. He bit his lip before he set his cup down. “I think Konoha is a great place for kids to grow up. Even in the war, I was happy this was my home...I never knew Uzushio but the way that you and my parents talk about it, it seemed like a pretty place.”

Iruka glanced up at her and noticed that Kushina’s eyes looked a bit watery and he jumped up in his seat. “No, don’t be sad! Konoha is great, we have the best ramen and-and…”

“Ha!” Kushina sighed before she rubbed her face and gave him a cocky grin. “Only a boy would think ramen is a key selling point.”

“Are you doubting the Ichiraku?” Iruka fired back. “I will fight you for it’s honor.” 

Kushina did laugh at that, loudly. Iruka would have been embarrassed but he was happy to see her smiling again so didn’t mind that she was laughing at his expense. 

She had a pretty laugh. 

\---

“At the end of the year.” Kohari promised as she checked her pack one more time. “I already spoke with Yondaime and he’s agreed. I will step down at the end of the year.”

Since it was still early spring, Ikkaku gave his wife a look to let her know that he wasn’t impressed. Her voice had finally gotten back to normal and she was disappearing again for another mission. Ikkaku was a mixture of supremely proud of his wife and worried. 

“As long as this is done before winter. We promised Iruka to take him to Uzushio so we could finally show him our home town, and I don’t want to keep pushing the trip back on him.” Ikkaku took out a few of the scrolls on his shelf and set them aside to hand off to Shikaku. 

He really couldn’t be too hard with his wife, he wasn’t handling retirement all that well. He basically took over the mission room desk and Iruka’s training now that he didn’t have a whole city of jonin to command. 

“Anyone new on your squad?” Ikkaku took his wife’s pack out of her hands so that she would stop checking it for the fourth time. “You seem nervous.”

“I never get nervous.” Kohari smiled at her husband before she pulled him into a quick kiss. She pushed his hair behind his ears and stared at his face as if to memorize it. “My group is working with the Foundation on this one, everyone knows to keep their eyes open.”

“Danzo…” Ikkaku sighed as he held his wife a little closer. “I don’t think he’s behind the missing persons but you know what to look out for.”

“Maa, husband of mine.” Kohari whispered softly in his ear before biting it. “I do love it when we share secrets but I’m about to be on the clock.”

Ikkaku just laughed as he let his wife pull away. He grabbed her hand to give it one last kiss before she placed her mask over her face and was gone. He waited a few moments in their empty room before he sighed and pulled his hair back in it’s ponytail. 

He had enough time to check in on the mission room before he would need to pick up Iruka from school. He had come up with a very strict training schedule for his son, and while Iruka tended to follow it, sometimes he would run off with his school friends afterwards. 

Today was a training day. 

\---

“Kakashi...”

He was supposed to protect her. He was supposed to keep her safe. 

He was supposed to save her!

The smoke around Kakashi and Rin almost made the moment feel intimate. Just the two of them as the wind whipped her hair in her face and her blood poured from her mouth. 

“Kakashi…”

Kakashi could see the lightning from the other side of her chest, could see where his arm and pierced through her body...he tried to grip her shoulder to pull his arm out.

His whole body was shaking. 

Or was it hers?

Kakashi fumbled as he tried to keep himself standing, only his hand slipped from her shoulder and Kakashi stood helpless as Rin’s body hit the ground. 

She couldn’t be shaking. 

Because she was dead. 

“Rin…” Kakashi managed to choke the words out, Obito’s eye is screaming at him. There is a sharp pain and suddenly the world faded to black as Kakashi fell forward. 

\---

Teuchi stared at the quiet group at his counter. 

Normally a noisy bunch, especially the one in the green spandex, they seemed to be unable to keep any conversation going before they would fall silent. 

He made sure to keep their tea warm when it looked like it was going cold, not that they noticed as they stared at their noodles. Teuchi tried to think of something to say, something to bring up to get their minds off of whatever was weighing on them before a loud crack of lightning caused everyone to jump. 

The skies opened up and the rain that followed overwhelmed the silence. 

“Do you think--” Asuma whispered as he stared at the ground. 

“He’ll tell us in his own time.” Kurenai bit her lip, her face making a pained expression as she tried to hold back whatever raw emotion was trying to claw it’s way out. “Rin…”

Teuchi felt a knot form in his throat as that name reminded him of a happy girl with purple marks on her cheeks. 

Not another one. 

“Why is it always him?” Gai mumbled into his into his arm, his ramen totally forgotten as he covered his eyes. “Why is it always Kakashi?”

The room went silent at that and Teuchi sighed. He lowered the heat on his stove before he went around the counter and pulled Gai into his chest. Holding the lanky teen tightly against him, before he grabbed the other two and squished them together. 

He knew there were rules, there were expectations for how the shinobi of the leaf were meant to act. How they were mean to live their lives for the sake of their village. 

How they were meant to endure. 

“I’m sorry.” Teuchi whispered to them, feeling all three tense in his arms before Gai broke down crying. Teuchi wasn’t a big man but all three of the teens felt so small in his arms. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, letting him hold them as they each broke down into tears in their own ways. 

The rain continued to pour down but he didn’t care. 

“I’m so sorry.”

xxx

Iruka knelt in front of the graves with father. It seemed so much time had passed since he had been allowed to join his dad in these prayers and somehow even more names were added to list. 

The war was over but the list kept growing. 

They started at the memorial stone first, making sure to wash it between each prayer of thankfulness. They had developed a pattern in these visits, Ikkaku would say a name and Iruka would wash the stone, Ikkaku would say a name and Iruka would wash the stone. They paused at the end, Iruka staying on his knees as he waited for his father to say the one name that wasn’t on the stone. 

“Sakumo.” Ikkaku whispered and Iruka lifted the last of his water and washed the stone. His father seemed more subdued over the past week and Iruka had originally thought it was because his mom was gone again but now he was getting worried that it was something else. 

He got to his feet and gave his father some space as he filled his bucket with water again before they made their way to the grave sites. His father was slow to join him this time around and Iruka couldn’t help but feel the heaviness around the man. He wanted to cheer his father up but he couldn’t think of a way how. He took a deep breath as they made it up the last few steps before both father and son paused. 

They weren’t the only ones visiting the graves this early in the morning it seemed. 

Clearly the teen had just been recently released from the hospital, judging by his cloths and wraps around his body. Iruka paused for a moment before he followed his father and they started their prayers at each of the grave sites. 

Iruka tried to keep his attention on the task of cleaning the graves but he kept noticing the figure was was still there, and the more he stared the more familiar the teen seemed to be. 

“Kakashi…” Iruka whispered as he finally matched what he could see to his memory. It was Kakashi, and he was standing in front of…

“Iruka, what’s wrong?” Iruka turned to his father to realize he was trembling. He could feel the warm tears pouring down his face as he tried to rein them in, only it seemed like more kept coming. Ikkaku seemed to be at an utter loss of what caused this reaction before he pulled his son into his arms. 

Iruka grabbed his father tightly and let out the wail that had building up into his throat. 

Kakashi was at Rin’s grave because Rin was dead. Iruka couldn’t help the pain that seemed to fill him at that thought and he didn’t bother holding back his tears any longer. His father holding him just as tightly as he whispered kind words to his son. 

“It’s okay.” Ikkaku whispered, rocking his son a bit and rubbing his back. When the older man glanced up he saw Kakashi staring at the both of them with a blank expression before walking off. Ikkaku took a deep breath and waiting for Iruka’s sobs to slow into hiccups. “You okay?”

“No…” Iruka whispered back as he wiped his face on his dad’s vest, Ikkaku sighing as he thought about all the snot that was on their now. “It’s not okay, it hurts.”

Ikkaku took a moment, letting his son take a few deep breaths before Ikkaku placed his hand over his son’s heart. “It’s okay to hurt, it just means you have a strong heart. Emotions aren’t weaknesses, and feeling them is not a weakness. You have a strong heart, Iruka, and it makes you feel things clearly.”

“I don’t want to feel like this…” Iruka mumbled as he started wiping his face with his hands. 

Ikkaku just nodded and stood up, letting his back pop a few times before he placed his hand on his son’s head. Ikkaku had a brief thought on how he could explain why all these emotions were okay, without contradicting the rules of a shinobi. 

He bit his lip and realized his son was making the same expression. 

Ikkaku smiled at that before he knelt on the ground and grabbed Iruka’s water bucket. “Let’s finish our prayers and then we can go see where our stomachs lead us.”

Iruka just nodded as he grabbed the bucket back. 

\---

“How is Hiruma doing?” Duy smiled at his old friend. 

Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, enjoying how the sun landed on his terrace before he turned to the oldest genin in Konoha. “Hiruma is fine, seems to be determined to marry his bride at a younger age than even me and Biwako but he’ll realize there is no rush.”

“Asuma seems to be the same as always.” Duy laughed. 

“Asuma…” Hiruzen just shook his head. “He questions everything, especially me. Though I must say that with Yondaime now in charge, we can at least be more cordial to each other. But that is enough about my sons, how is Gai?”

Duy smiled at that. “He’s become a chunin!”

Both men nodded at their good fortune with their sons before Duy let out a sigh. “It is every father’s with that their sons exceed them in happiness and in life but…”

“We also don’t like to be left behind.” Hiruzen let the smoke escape his mouth as he sighed. “Gai is a strong shinobi, his will of fire is stronger than most of the chunin his age.”

“He lives everyday to the fullest, and while I regret this last war that he had to live through, I also think it made him stronger in that regard.” Duy pushed himself up to his feet. “Retirement seems to suit you, Hiruzen-sama.” 

“Retirement suits no one.” Hiruzen replied with a grin. “But it is definitely good to catching up with old friends.”

\---

drip

Kakashi turned his head slightly to glance at the faucet in front of him. The noise of the water dripping into the basin bringing him back to reality. 

He didn’t know how long he had been standing there with his hands in the sink but the water was off so at least he wasn’t going to be getting any visits from his landlord. He took a ragged breath as he tried to calm his heart so that it wouldn’t beat out of his chest. 

He was home, in the barracks. 

He was back in Konoha. 

Minato was hokage. 

Rin was--

“Dammit!” Kakashi slammed his hands down, ignoring the pain that shot up through both arms as he fell to his knees. 

Rin. 

Rin was--

“Kakashi.”

Kakashi pulled himself up quickly, dragging his mask down as he vomited into this sink. Reaching out blindly to turn the sink on as he gagged again. The water coming out faster than it needed to but he didn’t have the energy to adjust it as he wiped his mouth. 

“Kakashi.”

He needed to clean his hands. 

He had to clean his hands. 

Her blood was everywhere. 

The water was too hot, he knew he was burning himself under the spray but he couldn’t stop scrubbing. He just needed to get the blood off, he had to get her blood off of his hands. The more he scrubbed the easier it got to breath, the more he could see that there was nothing there. 

She was dead. 

Her funeral had already happened. 

Kakashi wondered if Obito was cursing his name in the afterlife. If Kakashi needed to go leave a prayer at the Naka shrine to give Obito some peace. 

Kakashi didn’t deserve any peace. 

There was a loud explosion outside that had Kakashi on the ground in an instant with a kunai in his hand. His breath silent as he glanced out his windows. 

Fireworks. 

That’s right, the village was celebrating the new hokage and the new time of peace. 

The next batch of explosions still had Kakashi flinching as they lit up his apartment. His heart wouldn’t stop hammering in his chest, the sink still running. He needed to get in control. 

Control. 

Kakashi turned the water off before he dropped the kunai to the ground. He grabbed the blanket in his bed as the explosions and cheers continued outside. He opened the window to his apartment and wrapped the blanket around him for warmth before he leaned out to get a better view of the show. 

He took a deep breath of the fresh air then he lifted his headband so that his eye could see the fireworks. 

Obito had loved fireworks. 

He had loved Rin, too. 

If the sharingan was crying while Kakashi watched the sky erupt in colorful lights, Kakashi didn’t bother wiping them away. If Kakashi sent a silent prayer that his friends had finally found each other...there was no one there to hear it. 

xxx

“Happy birthday!” 

Iruka laughed as his friends threw paper balls at him. He managed to deflect a few of them back at them which cause everyone to laugh even more. All his friends were spread out in his backyard, which his parents had said he could use for his birthday. They had promised to stay in the house and leave everything up to Iruka. 

He was ten years old now. 

“Sorry I’m late!” A dark haired boy ran into the back yard with a smile. “It was my turn to wash the steps of the Naka Shrine.”

“No worries, Shisui!” Iruka smiled at his friend as everyone else waved him off. No one cared about late party goers when there was food (provided by Choza, not Iruka’s mom) and cake (Iruka’s dad made this one after last years catastrophe). 

Iruka has been pleased that he had been able to keep in touch with Shisui even as his friend excelled even further into the world of shinobi. Iruka hadn’t even made genin yet but Shisui still made time for him. 

“You have a lot of friends.” Anko put her arm around Iruka as she glanced around the backyard.

“Well, it would have just been my class but you always drag me around so I guess I got to meet more people that way.” Iruka smiled. He turned to his friend who had a mischievous expression on her face. “What are you--”

Which is how Iruka found himself pulled into a kiss with Anko. Her lips against his, her eyes open and somehow laughing at him as he stared at her in shock. There was a whistle and a shout of shock that sounded like Mizuki before she pulled away with a smack of her lips. 

“Wha-wha-wha--” Iruka stared at her in shock. 

“My birthday present to you, now you don’t have to worry about your first kiss.” Anko just smiled before she ran over the cake, hands in the air for victory. 

“That’s not something I was worried about!” Iruka yelled after her. 

“Cheapskate!” Mizuki yelled at her too for good measure before he grabbed Iruka by the shoulders. “Who knew that you would be a ruined bride at such a young age?”

“Bride?” Kohari poked her head out the door at that and Iruka felt his face go red. All the kids started laughing and Anko cackled as she started chasing other boys out the yard. Mizuki managed to get away but the same couldn’t be said for Azusa. Iruka just placed his head in his hands and willed his blush...and his mom, to go away. 

“Happy birthday…” Iruka glanced up as he heard a cough and Hayate was smiling at him. Iruka’s face only went a deeper shade of red Hayate handed him a present. “Probably not as good as Anko’s but--”

“Are you feeling okay, Iruka?” Shisui’s hand as on Iruka’s forehead. “You’re really red.”

“It’s because Hayate is so close to him!” Iruka heard Mizuki shout from the distance and suddenly Iruka was on his feet to chase after his best friend. 

He would kill Anko and Mizuki both, if it was the last thing he ever did. 

xxx

“How is Kushina?” 

Minato glanced at the ANBU kneeling in the corner of his office and found his shoulders slumping at the still form. Kakashi could have been turned into a statue for all Minato would have noticed. The ANBU tilted his head to the side before he stood and approached the Hokage’s desk. 

“She had lunch with the Uminos, seems to be the only person who can survive Kohari’s cooking.” Kakashi removed his mask since he knew Minato-sense preferred to see his face when he was reporting. “She also made sure to stop Midoko Uchi--”

“I don’t need to know everything.” Minato sighed. “Kushina would have a field day if she thought I was spying on her. I just wanted to know your thoughts, how do you think she is doing?”

Kakashi didn’t seem to know how to respond to that, his eyes gazing down at his mask that was still in his hand. 

His thoughts?

Blank. 

A blank slate that only exists for the mission. 

“Kakashi…” Minato sighed. 

After talking to the Third Hokage, Minato had been hoping that this idea to get Kakashi to watch his wife would have brought some light back into Kakashi’s life but it was clearly going to need more time. Minato didn’t know what to do, he felt responsible for Kakashi and yet couldn’t find a way to help him. 

Minato wished that Jiraiya was around, surely he would know what to do. 

“Kushina is safe.” Kakashi reported, knowing that wasn’t what Minato wanted but unsure of how else to respond. “I will continue to watch over her.”

“Yes...thank you.” Minato gave Kakashi a nod so that the ANBU could put his mask back on and disappear from the Hokage’s office. Minato waited a few minutes before he let his shoulders slump in defeat. Maybe he should have just sicked Kushina on the boy, she wouldn’t have let up until Kakashi was back to his normal self...but Minato also knew that Kakashi needed his space. 

Maybe after Naruto was born, he would talk to Kushina about having Kakashi over for meals during the week. 

The Yellow Flash smiled to himself as he imagined Kakashi holding a baby, yes, that would work. Kakashi could be like a brother to Minato’s son. Minato laughed as he thought of his family. 

Yes, once Naruto was here then everything would be perfect. 

\---

“Hold your hands like this.” Kohari smiled as Iruka stood in their backyard, clearly trying to focus on her lesson despite the early morning. 

She was taking a week off of missions and had decided to see if Iruka would be able to perform the same sort of genjutsu that she did. It had been hard to train but with her own personal background, she had an affinity for it but she didn’t think Iruka did. The boy took too much after his father when it came to ninjutsu. 

“And I focus chakra in my throat?” Iruka was staring at his nose as if he could try to see his throat and Kohari laughed as she shook her head. 

“No, so don’t do that.” Kohari places her hands on her sons throat and then down to his chest. “You’re not allowed to practice this unless I am here as well, at least until I have approved of your chakra control. This jutsu is very dangerous and if you do it wrong, you can rip out your throat.”

Iruka gulped at that as he moved his hands away and stared at his mom. 

“You are forcing your voice to make noises that it can’t naturally make, it took me a decade before I was able to get it to work properly and even then I still have to train. You’ve seen what happens when I misfire or when my chakra isn’t perfect, so you know the consequences.” Kohari pulled her son to her so that they were looking each other in the eye. “There is also a chance that you won’t be able to do this. Don’t be ashamed in that.”

“But I want to do it.” Iruka murmured even as he thought of the times that his mom had been bedridden for weeks, unable to talk without coughing up blood. He had seen her at her worse. 

“If you can’t do it then blame your dad.” Kohari grabbed Iruka’s nose to watch her son stumble back after making a noise a lot like a duck. “He’s the reason why you have a fire affinity instead of my water.”

“Stupid dad.” Iruka rubbed his nose with a laugh before he got back in the position his mom had shown him. “Don’t worry, I’m going to train so that I can do your water attacks. And I’ll train even harder so I can do your genjutsu.”

Kohari smiled brightly at that, pushing Iruka’s hair back on his head before he started going over the poses again. 

She couldn’t wait to see the type of man her son would be. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this chapter earlier in the day but got sidetracked by computer issues, so now I'm posting it on my sister's old chromebook. Hopefully it posts okay. 
> 
> Thank you guys for the reviews and kudos on the first chapter, I hope you enjoy this one just as much! 
> 
> @Mersayde - Thank you! I really like the idea of Iruka having a great family and that's what made him a great single dad in the future, haha. 
> 
> @Chocobofever - Everyone should have a crush on Minato-sensei. He's a cinnamon roll that was too precious for this world. 
> 
> @nathcoelho - He's the cutest! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well!


	3. Chasing Leafs In The Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Konoha's tragedy affects everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings at the bottom. Please check them out.

\---

“Mom!” Iruka rolled out of her reach before he lunged back at her, this time getting a few kicks in before he had to duck under her blade. “You promised to go over genjutsu today!”

“Ha!” Kohari laughed as she took another swipe at her son, “After this weak display at dodging, maybe not.” 

Iruka growled at that and used her next swing to slide between her legs. He was about to kick out her knees when he suddenly had a sword to his throat. He let out a breath and glared at his mom. 

“Oooh, scary face for my lovely boy.” Kohari shoved Iruka over with her other hand before she sheathed her sword. “But you’re right, I did promise you something else.”

Iruka let her help him up with a smile before he gave her a hug. It had been months since he had been able to spend time with his mom, not that he minded all the training with his dad but it had been nice to finally have her home for more than a few days. It seemed like after a few months of nothing but mission after mission, she was finally taking a break. 

His dad smiled a lot more. 

There was a sizzling sound that caused Iruka to pull away from his mom before the air suddenly went cold. His mom went tense in Iruka’s arms and he found himself shivering at the temperature drop despite the warm fall they had been celebrating. “Mom?”

“Get in the house.” Kohari’s voice was like steel and Iruka didn’t hesitate as he ran inside. There was another hissing noise and Iruka found himself tripping on the stones in their yard. He knew he scraped his knee but he didn’t feel anything in his rush. The air was getting colder. 

He only made it in the door before he called out for his dad. “Something’s wrong!” 

Iruka turned back to look in the yard to see as a team of ANBU disappeared before his eyes. His mom was gone but that meant that she was… “Dad, something is--”

“Iruka!” Ikkaku grabbed his son just in time as the floor seemed to explode beneath them. There was a scream in the air and suddenly heat.

Smoke. 

Ringing. 

Iruka’s ears were ringing. 

“Dad.” Iruka coughed, he felt arms moving him and tried to open his eyes but the smoke was burning them. 

Fire. 

Their house was on fire. 

There was yelling and his father was barking orders. Iruka could make out a variety of shapes moving around, but he couldn’t tell what shadows from the fire and what was actual people. He could hear screaming and explosions that sounded way too close to be safe. His dad’s arms are solid around him as they moved to the street. 

“Take him to the bunker.” Iruka heard his dad’s voice as another set of arms grabbed him but Iruka grabbed his dad’s vest. “Iruka…”

“No!” Iruka tried to hold onto his dad but the arms around him were stronger and he was being pulled away. “Dad!”

“Take him to safety!” Ikkaku yelled and Iruka knew that he wouldn’t be able to put up a fight with his dad right there. There was blood on his dad’s face, he eyes seemed like steel as Iruka watched him disappear in the distance. Whoever was holding him took a turn and Iruka was suddenly on a different street. 

Once he was further from the house Iruka could see the monster that had smashed his home. He saw the raw power screaming into the air as he slammed into other buildings. The creature spun and Iruka only had time to yell before a tail came crashing down on his location. 

Fire. 

Everything was on fire. 

“Dad...mom…” Iruka rolled over. He didn’t see whoever had been holding him as the wood around him burned. It looked like he had been tossed into another building. Iruka curled into a ball as another scream from the creature made the ground quake. 

He gasped as the sound echoed in his head before he glanced up. It seemed the Kyubi was moving, Iruka had a moment to think about running before he thought of his parents. 

His parents were fighting that monster. 

They needed help. 

He didn’t know how he would help but he would make it work. Iruka wasn’t the best in his class at anything but he would defend them with everything he had. They needed him!

“I’m coming.” Iruka murmured as he got to his feet, realizing that he was barefoot since he had been in his backyard. He didn’t care. “I’m coming.”

The first few steps had been painful. Iruka’s legs screaming at him to stop, that he was injured, that he needed to sit down but he just grit his teeth and kept moving. He was finally able to get into a run when he came into the street and saw the bodies. 

There were so many bodies. 

Iruka kept running, trying not to look at any of the faces. He didn’t know what he would do if he recognized one of bodies, he just knew that he had to get to the fox. His parents would be fighting the Kyubi and Iruka would be able to help them. He just needed to find them first. They would be okay, they weren’t one of the bodies on the ground, they were okay because…

Because…

Because they had to be!

Iruka made it to the next neighborhood, it seemed like they were able to push the Kyubi further back but Iruka could still hearing screaming and shouts. He just kept running towards the bright orange fire of the beast, he would find them. 

He would!

“Advance team, move forward!” Iruka stumbled as he heard his father’s voice. 

He just had to make it over this hill, he could see the fire, and hear the sounds of weapons being flung at the beast. Every time the Kyubi howled Iruka’s bones would rattle but he pushed through. He reached the top just in time to see a building come down from another tail landing on it. Iruka slammed to the ground as debri went flying past him, he was scared. 

So scared. 

“We have to stop this thing!” Ikkaku’s voice rang over all the other noise. 

His dad. 

He needed to protect his dad. 

Something was crashing down but Iruka managed to get back to his feet and roll out of the way before wooden beams had hit him. He stared in awe at the sight of the monster that was attacking their village. It’s snarl like an evil grin as it thrashed into more buildings, sending more shinobi to their deaths with a swipe of its claws. 

“Dad!” Iruka called out as he ran towards his father, he watched as the other man froze before turning towards Iruka with wide eyes. “Let me help!”

“Iruka!” His dad yelled and that was the only warning Iruka got before suddenly another tail was coming down, right where he was standing. 

“Dad!” Iruka screamed, he felt his body being pulled forward, dragging him through the splintering wood as the tail continued cutting through everything it could for a second before it was gone. Iruka gasped as his body was pulled out of the rubble and he rolled forward into waiting arms that held him tight. 

“Iruka…” Kohari gasped as she pulled him away from her to get a better look at him. “Are you alright?”

“M-Mom?” Iruka felt tears welling up in his eyes at the site of his mother. Her ANBU uniform was stained with blood, which was also dripping out of her mouth. She fell slightly forward and Iruka could see a slice in her back, the uniform doing nothing to protect her from the vicious power for the Kyubi. 

“Dad! Dad, mom is--”

“You leave your mother with me.” Ikkaku shouted. “Iruka, go and hide now!”

“No!” Iruka shouted back, even as his arms trembled. He had never shouted back at his dad but he couldn’t...he couldn’t leave them. “I don’t want to leave you guys behind! I can defend mom!”

“Iruka!” Ikkaku shouted and Iruka froze from trying to get to his feet. “Don’t push me!”

“Listen to your father.” Kohari whispered as she got to her feet, using Iruka as a crutch for a moment before she smiled at her son. “Go.”

“Mom…”

“It’s a parents’ duty to protect their children.” Ikkaku was suddenly there, holding Iruka tightly against him. “You have to go.”

“No!” Iruka couldn’t stop the tears. “No!”

“Rai!” Ikkaku shouted and suddenly another man was there. “Take Iruka away from here, now!”

Iruka grabbed onto both of his parents arms as he was being lifted away. He tried to think of something to say, anything that would let him stay with them but his voice got swallowed up as the fox screamed in the night air. Iruka felt both his parents arms slip from his fingers as they turned from him and started running back into battle. 

No. 

No. 

“Let me go!” Iruka screamed, shoving on the arms that were holding him. “Mom and Dad are still fighting!”

They were still fighting! 

He had to help them. 

Mom. 

Dad. 

\---

So much death. 

So much grieving to be done. 

Hiruzen held the crying infant in his hands as he stared at Kushina’s unmoving form. He felt his mouth moving but didn’t know what he was saying. He knew he had to be saying something as his men kept moving, kept nodding, kept following his orders. 

Minato. 

Hiruzen felt his bottom lip quake as he stared down at the body of the Yondaime. 

Kushina and Minato were gone. 

So young. 

He glanced down at the screaming child and didn’t know what to do. 

“Naruto…” That was the name Kushina had wanted this child to have. Hiruzen felt tears forming in his eyes as the enfant gave another cry for it’s parents. What was he going to do?

“Sandaime…” Hiruzen turned at the title to see an ANBU kneeling in front of him. “Your wife and several of Kushina’s guard were murdered in the attack.”

No.

His wife. 

Not Biwako, too. 

Hiruzen pulled the child closer to himself as he felt tears rolling down his cheeks. Whoever was behind this had already torn out his heart by destroying the city but did they have to take his soul too? Hiruzen had a moment of complete and utter wretchedness as everything came crashing down on him. 

He didn’t know what to do. 

“Sandaime.” Hiruzen felt his breath leave him as he turned to a squad of ANBU who all kneeled before him. Minato’s men...they were deferring to him. 

He didn’t have time to grieve...not at this moment. 

“Take this child to Lady Tsunade. No one else is allowed to look at him, do I make myself clear. I want two of your men guarding him at all times.” Hiruzen’s voice shook but no one seemed to pay it any mind as they followed his instructions. 

“Send for my sons, Hiruma and Asuma. I need them.” Hiruzen took another steadying breath. “Also, send someone to gather the elders and the council. We will need to meet with the Daimyo first thing in the morning.”

“Sandaime.” Hiruzen turned again to find Shinku bowing towards him. “All the younger shinobi have been released from their containment, we’ve given them orders to look for survivors.”

“Thank you.” The third hokage let out a relieved sigh, hopefully the deaths of the young were at a minimum thanks to that. 

Hiruzen took another breath. 

He had to keep moving. 

\---

Teuchi held Ayame close to his chest as he ran down the ruined streets. 

He could see the sun rising in the distance and cursed. Teuchi and his daughter had been escorted to safety when they had been in the farmers market and he had hoped to find his wife there with the rest of the civilians...only he hadn’t been able to find her. He had done his best to keep Ayame quiet at the ground shook beneath them. 

Sayori had made a plan, during their second war in the village, that if they were ever separated then they would meet back at the Ichiraku no matter what. 

No matter what. 

Teuchi tried not to stare at the bodies as the surrounding areas seemed to only get worse. Some of the fires still going while bodies were dragged out of the rubble. Ayame sobbed something in his shoulder as he pressed her head firmer against his neck. 

She didn’t need to see this. 

Teuchi gasped for air as he finally turned the corner. Sayori had been behind the counter when Teuchi had left with Ayame. He had wanted to let the merchants know what supplies they were running low on to make sure that he was fully stocked for the rest of the week. 

He shouldn’t have left her. 

The Ichiraku was gone. It was completely flattened, as if it had never been there to begin with. Just piles of wood and scraps that had once made his shop. Teuchi felt himself stumble as he made it to where the entrance used to be. Ayame actively sobbing against him now as he stared at his wife’s lifeless face in the rubble. 

She was his wife, his everything. 

Ayame’s mother. 

“Pops…” Ayame cried again and Teuchi didn’t let go of his grip on her. 

She didn’t need to see her mom like this. This would not be her last memory of her mother. The father tried to fight the tears that he knew were streaming down his face as he made a choked noise. He turned, stumbled slightly, and then kept walking. 

He needed...

He needed to go to the shelters, there had to be one nearby. He could leave Ayame with the shinobi and then he could come back for his wife, he could--

“Sayori…” Teuchi crumpled to the ground, his legs giving out beneath him as he clung to his daughter. They held each other tightly as they both cried.

Then it started to rain. 

\---

Everyone was wearing black. 

Hiruzen, once again the Hokage, had given his speech earlier that morning but people were still coming in droves to pay their respects. This wasn’t a close knit shinobi funeral, this was a village wide epidemic of grief. 

Everyone had been effected. 

Everyone had lost someone. 

Biwako. 

Hiruma and Asuma had been like statues throughout the service and Hiruzen had almost choked on his words when he noticed the bracelets that Asuma was wearing. Biwako had loved those bracelets, worn them whenever she didn’t have to dress up for ceremony. He wondered when Asuma had gone back home to get them, or if it had been Hiruma who got them for his little brother. 

Asuma hadn’t spoke to him once since Hiruzen had given both his sons the news of their mother’s death. He didn’t have time to deal with bitterness he knew that was growing in his youngest son, even though he knew exactly what his wife would say at that thought...Biwako would have been disappointed in them both. 

Minato should have lived. 

“What am I supposed to do now?” Hiruzen sighed before he shook his head. There was no point in wasting energy on useless thoughts, he had meetings to attend. 

A village to rebuild. 

Biwako was dead, his sons were mourning on their own and he could only move forward without them. 

Minato and Kushina were dead, their son carrying the burden of their deaths and the destruction of Konoha inside him. Hiruzen had left the child in the hospital, where Naruto would be cared for until it was deemed he could survive on his own. 

After much discussion with the council, it was decided that no one in the village would be allowed to talk about what Naruto was. It would now be taboo and Hiruzen hoped that this might give Naruto a chance at a happier future without the burdens of the seal inside him...but the Hokage knew he was just delaying the inevitable. 

He had ordered the ANBU to remove all of Kushina’s things from her home with Minato, it would be all that the Hokage could give Naruto once the child had his own place since he couldn’t give Naruto anything of Minato’s. 

So many others were dead. 

The village would be shut down for a week to focus on rebuilding the mandatory structures before they were able to open to the outside. He didn’t have time for worry, he need to move forward. 

He would do what was best for Konoha. 

For the second chance that Minato gave them all. 

\---

The room was bigger than he had pictured when they told him that he would be moving into the barracks. There was an entry way by the door, a small hall that had the bathroom in it and then one small room that had the kitchen on the far wall. 

“They will send anything they find from your home straight here.” Yoshino-sensei, no longer Iruka’s academy teacher or a teacher at all, said as she balanced her bored looking baby in her arms and she glanced around the apartment. 

Iruka had been staying at the Nara compound since the attack, since Shikaku and Choza had found him sitting in the rubble of his family’s home. They had taken him straight to the Nara compound where Iruka had found himself in Yoshino’s lap while her young baby, Shikamaru, slept beside them. 

He didn’t remember much about this stay, Shikaku had spoken to him a few times. Inoichi and Choza would show up with their newborns and Iruka found himself watching the three enfants while the adults talked in the next room. 

He knew that they were trying to keep him distracted, but what could they really do? 

His parents were dead. 

Their home destroyed. 

Iruka had no place to go. 

Yoshino had offered him a place in their home but Iruka had rejected it. They had fought over it, and while Iruka knew that he would feel guilty about raising his voice to her as soon as he could actually think things through, he didn’t want to stay with them. 

He would live wherever the city put him, and he would go from there. 

“Iruka.” Yoshino was leaning in front of Iruka, bringing the boy back to reality. “I know this is what you wanted but if you ever, ever, need anything--”

“Thank you.” Iruka whispered, his eyes going to floor so that he wouldn’t have to see the sadness in her eyes. The understanding that reflected on her face that he wasn’t ready to comprehend just yet. 

Yoshino sighed before she went to the wall with the windows and opened both of them. “Remember, you’re surround by chunin and jonin, so that means they basically put you in the crazy house.” 

Iruka smiled at that. “I haven’t even graduated the academy yet.”

Yoshino just ruffled his hair with a smile before Shikamaru started to make small noises, letting his mom know that he was awake and not happy with her moving around. Iruka couldn’t help but grin at the grumpy face the baby was making before he glanced to the edge of the room and saw all the boxes that had made it already. 

What was left of his family’s home. 

What had survived.

“You should head back home, it’s getting late and the curfew is still set.” Iruka gave his teacher a twitch of his lips, which was all he could muster for a smile these past few days. “Thank you for helping me get settled.”

Yoshino stared at him for a few moments before taking a breath and sighing. She gave Iruka a smile and then made her way out, making sure she gave her spiel of keeping in contact and letting him know that she would check in. Iruka just nodded as he shut the door behind her. 

She had more things to worry about that an orphan like him. 

Orphan. 

Iruka bit his lip as he glanced around the apartment one more time before looking at the boxes in the corner of the room. He ignored how his hands trembled against the first lid that he could reach. 

Iruka fell back and couldn’t stop the tears that welled up in his eyes. 

He couldn’t. 

Looking in the boxes made this real. Made this permanent. 

He couldn’t see what was left has parents yet, he just couldn’t. All those memories and years they had together, reduced to a sad stack of boxes in a sad old apartment. 

His whole body felt like it was on fire. He fell to the side, his tears rolling down his face and onto the mats as he tried to silence his cries. 

He wasn’t supposed to be alone. 

They weren’t supposed to leave him. 

Iruka didn’t know how long he had stayed there, but he woke in the middle of the night. He could see the stars clearly from his windows as he slowly uncurled himself. He didn’t look at the boxes as he turned so that he was facing the blank wall and closed his eyes again. 

One day at a time. 

He just had to make it through tonight and then he could start on tomorrow. 

\---

The only one left. 

The last of team Minato. 

The last of the Hatake clan. 

Kakashi briefly wondered if he would be cursed to be the last man in the village, if he would have to watch everyone he was mean to protect fall around him. 

They already took everything precious to him. 

What else could he give? 

It didn’t matter. Kakashi had his missions. It didn’t matter who was handing them to him, the Hokage or Danzo, he would do his job. 

And then maybe, one day, they would take him instead. 

It would finally be over. 

\---

“I...ru...ka…”

Iruka sat up, clutching his chest as the screams of a monster still rang in his ear. He was gasping for breath, he could feel tears streaming down his face as he slowly registered the room he was in. 

Was this his room?

Where was he--the barracks. 

Iruka shut his eyes. It has been two weeks and he still wasn’t used to his new surroundings. He curled in on himself as he continued to slow his breathing. 

This was his room. 

This was his apartment. 

This was his home. 

He felt his eyelids get heavy as he continued repeating the facts over again in his head. He needed sleep, he was so tired. 

This was his room. 

The tears finally stopped as he wiped his face against his pillow. He shoved the pillow off the pillow off the bed and curled his blankets around him so that he was completely wrapped in them. 

This was his apartment. 

Iruka starting counting each of his breaths. He wondered how many he had left, thought of his parents and their last breaths. He wondered if they had had any last words. 

This was his home. 

Iruka fell back into an uneasy sleep. 

\---

No past, no future, only missions. 

Kinoe, or at least that is what he was being called now, sat on the roof of the building he was watching. There was a small child, not much younger than himself pulling off an assassination across the street and Kinoe was supposed to verify it for Danzo. 

The kid had grey hair and round glasses. He looked harmless but Kinoe could tell how deadly the child was. 

He wondered what the kid’s name was. 

Did he have a past? Or a future?

Did he even have a name?

Kinoe watched with interest as the kid wiped the blood off his hands before taking off down the street. The job was done and the target was dead. 

Danzo would be pleased. 

Kinoe wondered what it would like to have more than just the mission but his mind came up blank. 

This was all he had ever known. 

It was all he would ever know. 

\---

“If Orochimaru-sensei had been in charge...maybe…” Anko shook her head at the thought. She had heard her sensei talking to himself in his lab and while she believed in him, she wasn’t so sure anything would have been better with the fox if he had been Hokage. 

She had been helping him clean his tools for his next batch of studies when an older man covered in bandages had shown up. Anko had been relieved when Orochimaru had told her that she was done for the day and took off back towards the town as fast as she could. She was always happy to help her sensei but that other man, Danzo, bothered her. 

Anko slowed as she made it to the village gates, nodding at the guards as she went further into the city. She had been one of the lucky ones, her family home and dango shop had remained untouched in the attack but her friends…

She shook her head before she took of running again. She would see what she could do to help her mom when she got home, and then she would prepare for her next mission. 

\---

It was beautiful. 

Iruka pressed his fingertips as he felt the callouses that were forming from the hours of his labor. All the children who hadn’t made genin yet were sent to help rebuild the school but Iruka had other plans. While every took their breaks, or went home, Iruka worked on his net. There was all sorts of chakra wire that could be found in the city, all different lengths. They were supposed to hand over all finds to their teachers but Iruka managed to keep a few for himself just for this moment. 

“What are you up to?” Mizuki sighed as he found Iruka tying together the last pieces of string. 

“Shhhh.” Iruka pulled his friend down next to him. “What are you doing awake this early?”

The sun had just finished rising which meant Iruka had a few minutes to set this off before the streets got crowded. Mizuki being here would be a bit of a hinderance, as Iruka wasn’t planning on have any witnesses but then again, Iruka smirked, it had been a while since they had spent some time together...

“I’m about to trip the whole village.” Iruka whispered with a big grin. 

“What?” Mizuki lowered his voice as he scooted closer to Iruka, obviously wanted to be part of this in some way. 

Iruka just smirked as he finished the last wire and hopped up to the roof of the building. Mizuki followed quickly and Iruka made himself comfortable on the edge and waiting for the morning chimes to ring in the village.

“How long is this going to--” The chimes interrupted Mizuki and Iruka sent his chakra through the wire he had some up. 

Both boys watched a net slowly lifted on the ground about 5 inches up. Iruka smiled as it slowly made lift across more streets, it didn’t take long before a yawning man opening his front door, taking a step out only to have his food caught in the wire. 

“What the-” The man hit the ground as he tripped forward. 

“Yes!” Iruka laughed as they heard a few more people yelping in surprise. Mizuki laughed too, and they even saw some of their classmates get stuck in the trap. There were more shouts of surprise and Iruka found himself rolling to the side as he tried to quiet down his laughter. Mizuki just stood up, watching in awe as more people got caught in Iruka’s trap and fell to the ground. 

“So it was you.” Iruka froze immediately.

Mizuki was already booking it towards the school, and Iruka had a small moment where he called the man a traitor in his head before he decided to face the music. Iruka just took a deep breath before he turned to the not very pleasant face of a scowling Raido. 

Raido had been one of Shikaku’s genin and Iruka didn’t think it was a coincidence that Shikaku’s students tended to be the ones who found him when he was pulling a prank. If it had been Asuma or Kurenai who found him, then he might have been able to get away since they never seemed to be too into the idea of tracking down an academy student but Raido was older and...more serious. 

“Iruka, your pranks need to stop.” Raido put both of his hands on his hips and just stared down on the kid. “Stop wasting everyone’s time.”

Iruka clenched his fist as he glared at the jonin. His teeth ground against each other for a moment before the hot rage in his stomach bubbled up. “Screw you!” 

With a back flip Iruka was on the next roof, glaring at Raido before he took off running. He knew if the jonin had wanted to catch up that he could have easily but Iruka also knew that he wouldn’t. Iruka had already done his prank of the day so that was going to be it. 

No one cared what he did afterwards, just as long as he wasn’t pranking again. 

Iruka’s foot his a loose tile and he found himself face down on the current roof he was on. He could here people moving around on the streets below, could hear the guard undoing his traps quickly so that as the sun rose higher, no one would even know it had happened. 

Iruka turned over so that his was facing the sky. 

He should probably go join the rest of the kids to help rebuild the school. The sooner that the city was finished being put back together the sooner that things could move forward. 

Iruka could graduate. 

He would get his own jonin-sensei and genin team mates. 

Not that it mattered. 

None of it mattered because at the end of the day, Iruka would come home to an empty house. 

\---

“You shouldn’t do this.” 

Hiruma sighed. 

“Not that…” Asuma tried again before he pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He saw his older brother frown at him but that didn’t stop him from pulling one out and putting it between his lips. He knew Hiruma wouldn’t say anything as long as he didn’t light up in his brother’s apartment. 

“Asuma, you need to give the old man some slack.” Hiruma just sighed as he checked over his gear. “This is my decision and he had nothing to do with it.” 

“I bet.” Asuma scoffed. “How convenient it must be that both you and Namaiki are going to be working directly under him now. ANBU.” 

“The only people who say ANBU with that much disdain are criminals or failed shinobi.” Hiruma shoved Asuma roughly so that his brother fell on the floor. “Since when did my little brother have such a bad attitude?”

“Since the eldest brother decided to fall in line with a flawed king.” Asuma bit out, he couldn’t hide the contempt in his voice. 

The room felt heavier for a moment and Asuma couldn’t bring himself to look up at his brother. To see the disapproval there. It was no secret that Asuma and his father never quite got along to begin with but since the Kyubi...since the death of their mother...Asuma’s attitude had gotten worse. 

Hiruma wondered if Asuma acted this way in the mission room but knew that wasn’t the case. His little brother might be an idiot, but he was a shinobi through in through. 

“Yes, Namaiki and I are both joining the ANBU. We will be under direct control for the Hokage.” Hiruma sighed before he sat on the floor next to his brother. He made sure to lean against him, enjoying how his brother had to move his legs to support both of them. 

Hiruma Sarutobi was not a small man. 

“I know you and dad have a lot to work out.” Hiruma pinched Asuma in the side to keep him quiet. “But I will not let you speak ill of our Hokage, Sandaime is the leader of our village and does everything he can to do right by all the citizens within these walls.” 

Asuma pressed his lips together and Hiruma couldn’t help the scoff that came out of his mouth. “Are you pouting?” 

“No!” Asuma’s cheeks were pink now and he was clearly fighting the frown on his face which just made it seem more like pout. “I’m not!” 

Asuma shoved his brother away and stomped off. He didn’t bother turning around as he made his way out of the apartment and started his trek to his own barracks. They had both moved out of the family estate when they had made chunin, with no protest from their father, and while Hiruma currently lived in a nice apartment with his girlfriend, Namaiki, Asuma was still stuck in the barracks. 

He hated the barracks. 

Asuma lit his cigarette and took a drag as he glanced at the sky. It was still getting dark fast but Asuma knew that it would only last a few more weeks. Winter was ending and soon spring would come. 

He found his old building and sighed. He knew he shouldn’t complain, but living from mission to mission was sad enough, but coming home to a building that slanted just made it worst. Asuma dropped his cigarette and stomped it out before he started walking up the stairs. He hated it when Hiruma was right, but his brother...was right. As much as his dad got under his skin and as much as Asuma felt that his father had neglected their family...the Hokage had never neglected Konoha. 

A shinobi through in through. 

Asuma paused as he opened his door and stood up straight. Silencing his breath as he stood in the still night. 

Nothing. 

Asuma shook his head, he could have sworn he had heard crying coming from his neighbor. He thought briefly checking in on Iruka, thinking of what Shikaku-sensei would want him to do but decided against it. 

He wasn’t going to be good company for anyone tonight. 

\---

Kakashi fingers kept twitching. 

This had never happened to him before and he wasn’t sure what it was. It felt like there was sand under his skin, he swore he could feel the blood in his veins moving around his body. His heart was racing and he could feel the perspiration under his mask. 

He was sweating. 

Why was he sweating?

“Next!” 

Kakashi’s eye flicked the chunin who had yelled. He was third in line to turn in his report in the mission room and Kakashi didn’t know why everyone felt the need to yell things here. He took a deep breath as he focused on the two in front of him, he just needed to make it far enough to turn in the report and then he would go home. 

He didn’t have to talk to anyone. 

Didn’t have try to connect with these people. 

Kakashi breath shuddered as he tried to release it. He tried again and only found it just as ragged as the last time. 

“Ne--!” 

Kakashi hadn’t even realized he had moved but he had the chunin on the ground before he could finish yelling. Kakashi managed to blink slowly as he realized he had his hand around Ibiki’s throat, the chunin not moving, not even reacting to having Kakashi over him. There was a growling noise and it took Kakashi too long to realize that it was coming from him. 

He was growling like an animal. 

Something feral. 

There a slight movement to his left and Kakashi was already reacting even as he tried to get his body to stop. Ibiki was yelling at someone, Kakashi thought he might be telling everyone to stay still, but it was too late. Kakashi could feel the chakra building up in his arm, could feel it surging through as grabbed his newest victim only to feel hands stop him instantly. 

He was panting, the exhaustion from his mission had already been overwhelming but this episode was taking everything that was left. 

“Take him to the hospital.” Kakashi recognized Hiashi’s voice and realized that both Hiashi and Hizashi were holding him in place. 

Kakashi could feel his lips curl in a smile at that, needing two brothers from the elite Hyuga family to stop him. He took another shuddering breath as he stared at the kid he almost killed. Kakashi’s eyes widening as Kurenai stared back at him in shock. 

Her eyes stared at him and Kakashi felt the Sharingan activate even though his headband was still down. 

Kurenai. 

He had almost--

Hizashi released his grip enough for Kakashi to collapse into him. The teen felt his whole world tilt backwards before he was suddenly staring at florescent lighting and a white ceiling. 

“That was new.” 

Kakashi closed his eyes, Tsunade’s voice like a bucket of water on how serious that episode had been. If he was getting one on one with the princess then that meant it was on his record. 

“Kakashi, someone from psych is going to be here shortly. It is mandatory that you talk to them if you want to remain on active duty.” Tsunade didn’t waste word. “So brat, before they get here, do you want to talk about it?”

Kakashi just closed his eye in response, he heard her sigh before he got up and left the room. He would wait for the person from psych to come in, he could ask them about the symptoms and then learn what to look out for. 

And if this happened again, he would make sure that no one else knew about it. 

He was in control. 

This was just a small inconvenient reaction from his body. He would learn to live with it and not put anyone else in danger like that again. 

\---

“You’re going to get in trouble again.” Hayate coughed as he leaned against Iruka’s side. 

Iruka smirked at his friend, fighting the blush on his cheeks. Hayate and the rest of the students in his class had made it back to the new academy a month ago. There had been rumors about a graduation test coming up soon so that they could release students for a break but Iruka had a plan until he passed that test. 

He was going to do one prank a day, for as long as possible, without getting caught. 

Caught in the act anyway. 

His longest record had been 5 days, but this newest set had made it to 10 and Iruka was planning to make it 11. 

“Can you sense anyone coming?” Iruka whispered, probably staring a little too long at Hayate who had closed his eyes to focus. Iruka knew puppy love was a thing, his mom had joked about it constantly, but now he was wondering if he had a problem. Then again, he had seen how Yugao-chan had blushed at Hayate over lunch yesterday and Iruka was beginning to think it might just be Hayate’s fault. 

“Everyone is still outside.” Hayate whispered before coughing slightly. 

“Good.” Iruka nodded at his work. “You should go outside with the rest of them, can’t have anyone know that you helped.”

“Oh…” Hayate rubbed his throat a bit before looking at Iruka. “Should I warn anyone about what’s about to happen?”

The question of should he warn Mizuki hung in the air. Iruka’s friend had gone distant over the last few weeks, almost to the point of cold when Iruka came into the room. Iruka bit his lip before he shook his head. “It’ll be a surprise for everyone.”

Hayata just smiled with a nod before he took off down the hall. 

Iruka took a deep breath before he placed the tag against the wall, it should give him enough time to get back to the rest of his classmates. Everyone was going to know it was him regardless, but what mattered is that he wasn’t caught in the act. 

Iruka jumped out of the nearest window, rolling on the ground as he made his way to the training grounds where his class liked to have lunch. He barely made it so that he was beside Hayate and Azusa before there was a loud pop. 

Everyone paused, even the teacher. They all turned to Iruka to see him with his friends before they turned their attention to the school and to where there was suddenly bright blue cloud of smoke. 

“What the--” The teacher was on their feet before turning to Iruka. “Iruka, get over here now!”

Iruka just smiled as his class started laughing. It was a simple dye bomb but Iruka knew that whoever got hit was going to have a hard time taking out all the blue. 

He could handle the yelling and the jokes. 

He could handle any reaction.

Anko was always gone on missions, and when she wasn’t she was spending on her free time studying under Orochimaru. Mizuki didn’t want to hang out anymore. Hayate and Azusa had their own families to return to. 

Everyone else had to go home after school. 

Iruka could handle anything...as long as he could feel some sort of connection to those around him. 

\---

Kakashi didn’t know what to say. 

He stood there in silence as the rain poured down, the funeral had ended hours ago and Gai stood there staring at his father’s picture in the flowers. 

Duy had used a forbidden jutsu to save Gai and his teams’ lives on a mission. The jutsu had made Duy indestructible, the forever genin saving everyone in an instant...but the cost had been too high. 

“Kshi.” Gai stuttered before he started to fall forward from exhaustion or grief, Kakashi didn’t know. He grabbed his rivals arms to steady Gai so the teen didn’t hit the wet ground. Gai was openly sobbing now and Kakashi didn’t know what to do. 

What could he do? 

“Gai.” Kakashi tried, but suddenly Gai was collapsing again and Kakashi found himself with an armful of green. 

Kakashi didn’t know if he should but he found himself in his own apartment. He laid Gai on the bed and stripped the wet cloths off before wrapping him in blankets. The Copy-nin tried to think of other field practices, to make sure your teammate didn’t get worse, but figured Gai would be fine with sleep. Treat it like chakra exhaustion, Kakashi nodded to himself. 

He knew all about that. 

Kakashi sat on the floor and stared at his empty apartment. He almost found having another person in there with him to be peaceful but he shook his head. Kakashi turned his attention to Gai who was still on the bed. 

“I don’t…” Kakashi frowned, not sure how he wanted to word this to the darkness of his room. “My mom died shortly after I was born. I never knew much about her, only that my father must have loved her so much that even saying her name brought him pain. He never spoke of her.”

The room was silent aside from Kakashi and Gai’s breathing, so the silver haired teen continued. “My father died in shame, killing himself in our home so that his seven year old son would find him after returning from a mission.”

Kakashi clenched his fists at the memory before he shook his head. That wasn’t what he wanted to say to Gai. 

To his only living friend. 

“I don’t know what it’s like to have a father die for you, but I know what it’s like to lose everything.” Kakashi sighed. “I don’t think I can help you...but if there is something, just let me know.”

The room remained silent and Kakashi found himself sighing into the darkness. 

He was a terrible friend.

\---

Iruka stared at the boxes that were still in the corner of his room. 

The rest of his apartment had slowly filled up as Iruka had been able to get into his parents’ accounts as well as to get funds from Iruka liked to call ‘Konoha Doesn’t Know What To Do With Ninja Orphans’ fund. He had a bed now, and dishes, nothing fancy but it would do. 

Now he needed to go through the boxes of what had survived his home. 

Iruka slid the lid to the first box without really thinking about it. His hands reaching in as he pulled out book and scrolls. 

Oh. 

He held the items in his hands. They had been the books that his mom had kept in her training room, they looked exactly like Iruka had remembered only...they smelled like smoke. Iruka dropped them back in the box and moved it to the side. He would remind himself to go through those to see if they had more informations about his mom’s exercises. 

The next box held more books, this time from his father’s office. Iruka made sure to turn them over as he felt a smile form on his face. He had loved going through his father’s books in hope of looking for confidential information. He had never found any but it still brought back memories. 

Iruka placed it to the side as he started on the next box and then the next. 

He could do this. 

This is all that he had left of his parents and he wanted them out in the open. He needed to have their books mixed in with his own. He wanted to see if there was a photo he could save or maybe a shirt he could wear. 

He needed to do this. 

He needed to have the physical proof that his parents had been alive. That they had lived long and amazing lives as Konoha shinobi. 

That they had raised him. 

That they had loved him. 

\---

“I’m worried about Iruka.” Anko didn’t bother wasting words as she pulled down the book Mizuki had been reading. The light haired kid glared at her in response. “I’m serious, I haven’t heard from him in weeks.”

Mizuki just scoffed and Anko grabbed the book out of his hands completely and put her hand on her hip. 

“He’s fine, and shouldn’t you be busy with missions?” Mizuki held out his hand for his book and just sighed when she didn’t give it back. “He’s been fine. Pulling pranks like a mad man, every time I see him he’s got a stupid grin on his face.”

Anko’s shoulders seem to fall at that before she handed him back his book. “He’s okay?”

“I’m his best friend.” Mizuki stated, and while Anko wanted argue against that...she hadn’t heard from Iruka in weeks. MIzuki seemed to notice her reaction and he gave her a small smile. “I can tell him that you miss him, but I promise Anko, if there was something wrong then I would come to you first.”

Anko nodded at that before noticed her mom waving her back to the shop. “Thanks, Mizuki.”

Mizuki just smiled. “Anytime.”

\---

He couldn’t stay here. 

Kakashi ripped his sheets to shreds, his heart pounding in his ears. 

He was out of Root but did that mean he was free? What if Danzo came back to get revenge for Kakashi’s betrayal...would Sandaime be able to do anything or would it be too late?

Kakashi took a deep breath as he glanced around the apartment. 

There were probably traps, things in here for Danzo to spy on him. To keep track of his movements...Kakashi had never regretted to the moving to the barracks until this moment. They were too public, so many people located in one place, so many chakra signatures. 

He hadn’t slept in three days. 

“I need…” Kakashi didn’t know what he needed. 

Air. 

Kakashi took a breath. He had air. 

But his whole body itched, there was a strange tension in arms and legs and Kakashi realized what it was after a few more forced breaths. 

He needed to leave. 

He need to run. 

It was the same feeling from that time in the mission room but this time it had a purpose. Kakashi wasn’t having another episode, he was legitimately not safe in his own apartment. He had made it out of Root but Kakashi didn’t know how far Danzo’s reach was, just that it was far. 

Kakashi grabbed his bag from the closet, not even bothering to do a quick sweep of the apartment since everything he needed or would want was in the bag. Everything else could be replaced. 

He ran to the end of the hall, bumping into a kid along the way. The kid shouted something at him but Kakashi couldn’t hear. He hadn’t had this sort of reaction to adrenaline in a long time, he wondered if he was breaking. 

Had the paranoia of the Foundation, of Danzo, broken him?

Kakashi didn’t remember leaving the bustle of the main part of the village. Didn’t remember running through the trees but only knew that he needed to find something to ground him. 

But everyone was gone. 

Obito. 

Rin. 

Minato-sensei. 

Kakashi was panting on the ground when his knees finally gave out. He let his forehead hit the ground as he tried to catch is breath. He wondered how many times he doubled back, just on instinct, to lose any tails. He wasn’t even sure if he would be able to sense others in his current state but he had to trust his gut. 

His bag fell from his shoulder and hit the grass. Kakashi took another breath and sat up, taking a look at his bearings and finding himself surprised. 

“Gai?” Kakashi whispered as he stared at the run down house in front of him. 

That’s right, Gai and his dad and been living on the outside of the village for as long as Kakashi could remember. He had only been here once, forever ago. Maybe it was after the chunin exams? He remembered Dai, how happy the forever genin had been when Kakashi had shown up to bring something to Gai. 

Kakashi got to his feet in a fluid motion, he hadn’t seen Gai in weeks, not since his father’s funeral and Kakashi didn’t know if that was his fault or Gai’s. The door was open in the front and Kakashi had a brief moment of wondering if Danzo had come after Gai. What if the Foundation had come after everyone that Kakashi knew?

“Just leave me alone.” Gai’s voice was rough, Kakashi had never heard it so low. The ANBU took two steps into the house and froze. 

Kakashi had purposely trashed his apartment and it had still in a better state than Gai’s home. 

“What happened?” Kakashi dropped his bag to the ground. The house was in shambles, it looked like someone had ripped the doors off in a fit, like a hurricane had come through and knocked doors off. “Gai?”

Gai himself was on the ground staring at the ceiling. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had spoken earlier, Kakashi might have checked him for a pulse. 

There was no reply and Kakashi turned his attention to Gai again and noticed how flushed his friend looked. There was a sheen of sweat on his skin and it looked like he was shivering even from the doorway where Kakashi stood. 

Gai was sick. 

Kakashi had never seen Gai get sick. 

The silver haired ANBU didn’t know what to do. He took another step in the house, knowing that he officially couldn’t stay here but he couldn’t leave Gai here either. He didn’t know if he should take Gai to the hospital, or if his friend would even go to a hospital willinging. 

“Leave me to die.” Gai groaned again and Kakashi found himself rolling his eyes. 

“I can’t do that.” Kakashi paused. 

His mind was clearer now that he had burned off all that extra energy. There was only one place that he knew would be safe. No one would have been able to enter the grounds without him getting notified immediately. 

Not even the Hokage. 

It took Kakashi a moment to gather his eternal rival up, grab his bag, and then they were off. Gai fell asleep in his arms before they even left the house and Kakashi tried to take that as a good sign. It had been a while, but it didn’t take long to get to their new destination. 

Kakashi was glad that he was wearing a mask as he walked through the gates of the Hatake estate.

\---

Hiruzen tried not to growl as he stomped through the streets. 

Asuma seemed to have gotten all of Hiruzen’s and Biwako’s worst traits it seemed. He was smart, like his father, but he definitely had his mother’s temper...and tongue. He was quick with his words and it felt like Asuma knew exactly want to say to cut HIruzen to the core. 

He never reacted to his son’s words, he was too old and set in his ways to let a child’s temper tantrum actually get a reaction from him but that didn’t mean the old man didn’t need some space afterwards. In time, Hiruzen sighed at the thought, in time he hoped that his heart would reach Asuma. 

The Sandaime slowed his pace as he took time look at the village around him. He could hear passing conversations and even a few greetings. He just smiled as he placed his pipe against his lips and continued his walk. There was a somber feeling in the air, a fall chill was trying to come in but it seemed that there would still be a few more weeks of warmth. 

Hiruzen stopped in his walking for a moment as he closed his eyes. 

Naruto turned one today. 

The Sandaime released a breath and continued his walk, this time with a destination in mind. It was almost midday so it would seem that most the village was in it’s normal routine. The Hokage remembered that there had been requests to have a festival to celebrate the anniversary of the Kyubi being sealed away but he had denied them. 

Today would be treated like every other day. 

The older man paused as he spotted a figure already in front of the memorial stone. He was surprised as the small boy hunched forward, shoulders shaking, clearly crying but trying to hold it in. 

He recognized the untidy ponytail and the scar across the child’s face. 

He had been getting complaints about Iruka for quite some time. For the most part, everyone seemed to be sympathetic for the orphan but there was also this sense of unease. The Uminos had been loved in village, they had cemented themselves as a pillar in the shinobi community and then they were gone. 

Hiruzen listened to Iruka’s hiccuping sobs and felt his heart break. He took a step forward and thought about Ikkaku and Kohari. How he missed his friends and yet how he had failed them by not looking after their only son. 

The Sandaime would make up for all of that, starting today. 

\---

“Kakashi…”

“...Kakashi…”

“KAKASHI!”

Kakashi blinked. 

He was standing in his bedroom, his sleep pants lows on his hips. He was shirtless, somehow, but that didn’t seem right. He took a deep breath, feeling the night air against his face. He took another breath as he stared at the hair he was pulling back. 

His other hand was gripping a kunai to Gai’s throat. 

“Kakashi.” Gai spoke softer this time, the other teen realizing that Kakashi had come to and was not going to kill him immediately. 

“What are you doing in my room?” Kakashi growled as shoved Gai away. He grabbed his shirt that was on the ground and covered himself quickly, already feeling better when his mask covered his face. “There were rules.”

“I know!” Gai at least looked apologetic. The green beast sighed before he gave Kakashi a serious look. “I know you’re letting me stay here and I appreciate it but you were yelling in your sleep.”

Kakashi glanced down at his hands at that, not wanting to look at Gai’s expression. Kakashi felt a shudder race through his body at the sudden urge to wash his hands came over him. He stared at his clean fingers and knew that if he rubbed them together then he would still feel Rin’s blood. 

“I’m fine.”

“I won’t wake you up next time.” Gai bit out angrily and Kakashi lifted his head again to see why Gai was so mad. His rival was glaring at him. “But I think you need help.”

Kakashi gave Gai a bored glare. 

Gai glared back. “You’re back to ignoring your friends and even though you let me move in here, which I am grateful and moved by your kindness, I feel as though you have built a wall that no one can get through.”

Gai stopped for a moment, seemingly trying to think of how he worded his next part of his speech but Kakashi decided to end it here. “Gai. I’m fine. I let you move in here because you had nowhere else to go and this house is big enough that two people should be able to live here without getting in each other’s way.”

Kakashi waited to make sure that Gai wouldn’t interrupt him. 

“Rule one: You stay out of my room and the backyard.” Kakashi lifted a finger up as he went over the rules. “Rule two: You only stay until you can afford an apartment on your own--and not the barracks, we’ve been over this. The last rule, and maybe the most important one as far as I’m concerned is that outside of this house we are not roommates. Life continues as normal.”

Gai sighed but just nodded his head. 

Kakashi shook his head as opened the door to his bedroom and got out. He could probably garden for a bit if the moon was bright enough. He needed to be alone. 

He heard Gai murmuring something as the green beast made it back to his own room. 

Kakashi closed his eye as he made it outside. He was a terrible friend but he was grateful to Gai. Kakashi probably would have let the nightmares and this house swallow him whole if it hadn’t been for his friend living with him. 

\---

“Today, you are fully fledged shinobi!” 

Iruka grinned as he put on his head band. The teacher continued to talk about the next steps for the class but Iruka wasn’t really paying attention. He had finally done it! 

“Your parents would be proud.” Iruka froze as he tying his headband at those words. It almost slipped through his hands but suddenly a large hand was holding it in place and tying it for him. Iruka glanced up as he was trying to fight the tears in his eyes to see Inoichi smiling down at him. “I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“Working?” Iruka whispered in confusion as he took a calming breath. 

The pain in his chest was still strong, like a piece of him was missing, but he no longer felt like he was going to cry. He could do this, today he was officially a genin. 

“Didn’t you hear?” Hayate put his arm on Iruka’s shoulder with a tired grin. Azusa was rolling his eyes but he was also smiling. “Inoichi-sensei is going to be our jonin teacher.” 

“What?” Iruka turned to Inoichi with eyes, suddenly feeling flush at his excitement. “Really?” 

Inoichi just laughed and Iruka knew that he was blushing as Hayate pulled on his ponytail. Azusa was saying something about airheaded teammates but Iruka wasn’t going to take it personal. 

His dad had trained Inoichi.

Iruka smiled at that, wondering if the Hokage had done this on purpose or if it had just been chance. He knew it wasn’t going to be the same but learning from his father’s student meant that he was going to learn some of his dad’s lessons as well. 

Iruka smiled brightly, not bothering to hide the tears in his eyes this time as Inoichi ruffled his bangs. Inoichi was already talking about a test but Iruka didn’t care, he was going to pass and Inoichi was going to be his teacher. 

The new genin paused to look at his other friends who had graduated. It seemed some teams had already left but he could see Mizuki, Kotetsu, and Izumo talking to a wild looking woman with a giant dog. Iruka blinked, Tsume Inuzuka was the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan and would be an amazing teacher. 

He was happy for his friends. 

For the first time in quite some time...Iruka was truly excited to see what the future would hold. 

\---

“I can’t believe that you get to teach Iruka-chan.” Choza groaned into his cup of sake. “Why do you get the cute students.”

“It’s not my fault that you and Shikaku got a genin team before me.” Inoichi sighed with a grin, waving his hand at his two friends. “Who knew that having so many special missions would eventually give me such adorable students.”

“You’re both ridiculous.” Shikaku smirked at his friends. “But I’m glad that it was you Inoichi. Ikkaku-sensei would probably come back and haunt us if we had let anyone else get Iruka.”

All three friends laughed at that, talking about the horrible things that Ikkaku had made them do as students. From running several laps around the city to doing free maintenance work on older buildings when they were between missions, Ikkaku had never let them sit still. 

Inoichi smiled slightly to himself before he saw Shikaku and Choza giving him a knowing look. 

He sighed dramatically, “Fine! I’ll get you copies of our team picture tomorrow!”

\---

Iruka was on his way to meet with his team, he had decided to cut by the academy just because he could. He had heard that Yoshino-sensei was back to teaching for a bit and Iruka wanted to see if she yelled at the other kids as loudly as he had yelled at him and Anko. 

“Iruka!” Iruka tripped slightly as he heard his name and paused as he saw a familiar face he hadn’t seen in awhile. 

“Shisui!” Iruka ran over to his friend and smiled brightly at the chunin vest that Shisui was wearing. He had heard that his friend had been promoted but he hadn’t had a chance to congratulate him. “That looks great on you!”

Shisui smiled at that and Iruka blushed, realizing how it might sound. 

“Congratulations.” Shisui tapped Iruka on the forehead, hitting the new protector and Iruka couldn’t help but grin at that. 

“Thank you!” Iruka glanced at the academy then at Shisui. “Meeting someone here?”

“No.” Shisui smiled and Iruka couldn’t help but smile back as Shisui continued. “A cousin of mine started the academy, I was just walking by to check on him.”

Iruka tried to think of cousins Shisui might have mentioned before and came up short. Shisui tended to be private and Iruka didn’t want to pry further so he just nodded at his friend. He paused for a second before grabbing Shisui’s hand making sure that the Uchiha was looking him in the eye as he smiled brightly. 

“Don’t be a stranger, we should meet up between missions.”

Iruka blinked as suddenly Shisui’s face went pink and the Uchiha nodded. Iruka smiled at the agreement before he let go of Shisui’s hand and took off towards where he was meeting his team. He waved bye and ran with a smile until he saw Inoichi-sense waving at him. 

Things were looking up.

\---

“This is ridiculous.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes at Gai before he turned his attention back to his abdomen. He was already halfway done with stitching the wound, he was about to go to the hospital now. He heard Gai frowning at him from the doorway to the bathroom and just slumped. 

Gai cared, Kakashi had to remind himself. That’s all this was. 

“I haven’t been able to handle hospitals very well recently.” Kakashi admitted and was only slightly surprised to see Gai slump more at the information. 

It was true. Kakashi had already hated the places when he was younger. He had gotten a reputation of escaping them during the third war and it had only gotten worse since he was older. Most often than not, he would end up hurting himself even more when some nurse he didn’t know reached for him. 

It was either hurt himself or hurt them and Kakashi had learned from that episode in the mission room. 

He was never going to hurt one of his friends again. 

“Can I at least help?” Gai held his hands up as if to show Kakashi he wasn’t armed and while Kakashi thought the action was silly on someone like Gai. His hands were their own weapons after all, he found himself relaxing. 

“Fine.” Kakashi gave his rival and nod and Gai smiled brightly as he made his way to his feet so that he could check Kakashi’s other wounds. 

They stayed in silence after that, the only noises coming from Gai who flinched every time he found a wound or scar that he didn’t like. Which meant that he flinched a lot. 

“I don’t like hospitals either.” Gai sighed as he finished the wrap around Kakashi’s ribs. “It’s the smell.”

It was the smell for Kakashi too, and everything else that came with it. 

Kakashi gave Gai a pat on his shoulder in thanks before he stiffly got to his feet. Kakashi had 48 hours before he had to report in again and he was planning to sleep the whole time. 

Sleep, and maybe eat some food. 

\---

“I haven’t seen Iruka in a while.” 

Mizuki huffed at the group of boys he was with. All genin and they had finally gotten a break from their D-Class missions and now all they wanted to do was talk about Iruka. 

“He’s fine.” Mizuki sighed at the group. “Like he said a few weeks ago, he’s been doing a lot of training on his own.”

“Yeah…” One of the boys pouted. 

“Guys, I’m his best friend.” Mizuki hit himself on the chest to emphasize the point. “Iruka tells me everything, he’s fine and he doesn’t need us bothering him.”

The boys seemed to be able to move on after that and it was only a matter of time before they started playing kick the can, this time with jutsu. 

Mizuki sighed as he thought of Iruka. Of his little lonely orphan friend who was probably crying in his apartment right now. Mizuki gave the can a vicious kick and couldn’t help but smirk as he saw it go flying. 

He didn’t know why people cared so much about Iruka, but Mizuki was looking forward to taking more missions with his team. Soon he would qualify for a chunin exam, and then he could leave all these losers in the dust.

\---

“If I stick my thumb in the broth, does that mean I can eat this while you make a new one?” Ayame smiled up at her dad who was frowning at her. “Kidding!”

“You better be.” Teuchi sighed, “And you’re only six, you’re not messing with food until you can see over the counter.”

Ayame huffed at that before she heard the rustle of fabric and turned to smile at their visitor. “Gai!”

Teuchi just huffed as he watched his daughter leap at the thin ninja in green. Gai had been looking better since the passing of his father and Teuchi was happy to have the teen back in his shop again. Gai was throwing Ayame in the air, thankfully outside of the stand this time, and Teuchi got started on Gai’s bowl. 

There was a loud squawk followed by Ayame’s laughter and suddenly Ayame was running in the stand with a huge smile as Gai came in limping...followed by a very amused looking Choza. Teuchi grinned even bigger at the large man. 

“Hope you don’t mind but I had to remind my student why he shouldn’t throw young ladies around.” Choza laughed as he hit Gai on the back, the teen coughing at the force while he frowned at his sensei. 

“Young lady?” Teuchi glanced around his stand, purposely not looking at his daughter. “I don’t see any young ladies here.”

“Pops!” Ayame groaned as Choza started laughing again. 

Teuchi smiled as he daughter made sure the wipe the tables and he finished putting the bowls together. Things were definitely getting better. 

One day at a time, he hummed to himself. They all just needed to take it all one day at a time. 

\---

Inoichi paused as he glanced at the mission that the Hokage was handing him. 

“This is…” Inoichi started but the Hokage cut him off. 

“I know it might be a bit soon for your team, but it should only take six months at most.” Sandaime sighed. “It will be a good lesson on their part, and I’m afraid we need someone of your skillset for this particular mission.”

Inoichi looked at the scroll and found himself nodding. 

Apparently information was being smuggled from a variety of villages and even companies. Groups of lower rank ninja had been attacked for their scrolls and other items and now it seemed like the items were appearing in a coast town called Uzutoshi. 

“If you insist.” Inoichi smiled with a bow. 

He thought about his team, they had only been doing missions for a few months but they seemed to work well together. Hayate and Iruka were better at reading each other’s intentions, but Azusa was definitely ahead of both of them when it came to sensing others. 

He would run the idea by them, Inoichi thought. After all, it was a long time to be gone from home and if it came down to it, Inoichi could pass off his students to another teacher and do this mission on his own. Then again, it was a change to stay at a tourist town on the coast for a while. 

Either way, six months would be a nice vacation from the village. 

And he was excited to teach the boys the art of flower arranging. It was definitely a skill that he was sure they would find useful later in life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER:  
> Canon character death. This chapter has the Kyubi and more.  
> -mourning  
> -nightmares  
> -PTSD
> 
> Let me know if I missed anything. 
> 
> Also, I'll respond to reviews here, if that is okay. 
> 
> @MiffyMaffu -- Thank you!
> 
> @Mersayde -- I hope you continue to like it! 
> 
> @TheRegalHarvester -- Young Iruka is my fave, I wish we saw more of him in the comic. 
> 
> Reviews and kudos are always appreciated!


	4. Swimming In The Sea (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka's first long term mission might last a little longer than he planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note is at the end with some warnings, so please scroll down to view those. Also will have a note about the rating change and the pairing that was added to this story. 
> 
> This chapter was originally just supposed to be a whole chapter, I had to split it into two parts because it got way too long. BUT I hope you guys enjoy it! The second part will be posted on Sunday, so you won't have to wait long.

\---

“Good morning!” Iruka smiled as he slid open the window to the room. 

He heard grunts from the three people still in their futons and just smiled as he leaned as far out as he could, the breeze from the ocean blowing his hair out of his face. 

He loved this town. 

Uzutoshi had once been a small port town before Konoha had even existed. Over the years it had grown into quite the tourist spot, as well as an essential port town for the world. The amount of trade that happened in this bustling city was insane. 

Iruka had thought that Konoha had been big, it was nothing compared to this place. 

“I-ru-ka!” Iruka leaned back so that he was in the room that he had with his teammates and their sensei. They had been using this room since they had arrived five months ago. Azusa was glaring at him as he rubbed his hands through his slightly longer hair. “Please tell me that you got breakfast.”

“Of course.” Iruka laughed as Inoichi sat up with a crazy case of bed head. 

Five months had been a long time away from home but their mission was finally coming to end. Azusa’s hair hand grown out from his prefered shave and while everyone was pestering him to let it grow, they were also excited to have him not complain about it anymore. Iruka had taken to the town like he was from there, it probably helped that his tan skin had actually let him fit in well with the locals. Team Inoichi were acting like traveling merchants. Inoichi coming to town to investigate their flora for his shop with Iruka, Azusa and Hayate as his apprentices. 

Iruka crawled over so that he was smiling down at Hayate who had woken up first but had just stayed in bed and glared at the ceiling while Iruka ran around. Hayate just sighed at Iruka’s smile and started to get up. 

The scarred genin couldn’t help his good mood. It had been three months of nothing but constant dead ends on their search for a smuggling ring. Inoichi-sensei would leave two of them at the traveling stand they had set up while taking one with him for training...and to watch his body in case he felt the need to hop into someone else’s mind. They had finally gotten a lead on a day where everyone was staying close to the shop, Inoichi-sensei trying to decide if they should try a different approach, when Iruka had been approached by an older woman on the street. 

Iruka had stuck to his story, he was an orphan from the capital. He had been a street rat before he had stolen a flower from Inoichi mistaking it for food. (And really, did Inoichi-sense have to make him seem so stupid in this story?) But Inoichi-sama had taken him in and now Iruka was learning the art of flowers. 

Azusa’s story had him as another merchant’s kid who had no knack at the family business so Inoichi was seeing if he could try out flowers instead. Hayate was Inoichi’s sick nephew who was brought to the coast for some fresh air. 

Iruka remained as polite as possible as the older woman asked him about where he was from. Iruka had answered all her questions the best he could but when he saw her red hair, it had reminded him of Kushina. 

He had sighed before looking wistfully out to the ocean. 

If it was a super clear day in Uzutoshi then Iruka would be able to see the beginnings of the ruins of Uzushio in the distance. For some reason, he had decided to tell the the woman that his late parents had been from Uzushio and he had hoped visiting this town would make him closer to them. 

At that her eyes welled up and she pulled him into a hug, and Iruka had been nothing but confused. Inoichi had been beside them in an instant apologizing for anything Iruka could have done to make her cry but the woman had just laughed it all off. 

After than she had started to visit them every morning on her way to work. She would come by, pick up a new batch of flowers for one of the rooms at the Inn she owned before continuing on with her day. Inoichi-sensei had made sure to be around when she visited, often asking her questions that Iruka didn’t quite understand before they both would laugh and she would leave. 

“Riko-san owns a brothel.” Inoichi-sensei laughed as all three of his students’ faces went red. “She’s a great contact to have here, she would definitely have a better idea about any smuggling going on in this town.”

“But you can’t go there, right?” Azusa had asked with wide-eyes. “Your wife would be mad.”

Inoichi went pink at that before he yelled all of them for accusing him of such things. Iruka and his team and been forced to run laps around the city that night as punishment and Hayate was still mad about it. Iruka knew Yuuka-san would probably not have cared if Inoichi-sensei had gone to a brothel or not, Iruka had seen how they both acted with each other and knew that neither of them would ever hurt the other. They were truly in love. 

A lot like his parents had been. 

“Some men keep trying to hide their merchandise with my girls.” Riko-chan, which is what the older woman heavily hinted that she wanted Iruka to call her even though she was in her late fifties, had complained one day as Iruka brought her tea and Hayate started to arrange some flowers for her. Every day she asked for a different flower and while originally Iruka had been to the person to do everything for her, she had taken a liking to Hayate as well so he would help if he was there.

She did not like Azusa, who had to stay on the other side of the cart whenever she came by first thing in the morning. Inoichi thought this was hilarious. 

“Do you like flowers?” Riko-chan asked one morning. Inoichi had had left on his own that morning, thinking that he found a lead but needed to have stealth so the genin had been left behind. Iruka had laughed at her question before replying that he liked pretty things. 

She had given him a smirk, had handed him the flowers she had bought that morning as if they were for him before she left. She paused at the door and stated softly. “I would like to see your master in morning, tell him that I would like to borrow you.”

That had made an interesting afternoon where Iruka had to field off Azusa who was set that Inoichi was about to sell Iruka off to be a prostitute, and Hayate who was sure that Riko was involved with human smuggling and decided to sell Iruka to some old daimyo where he would be hooked on drugs and have his body used to settle treaties. Iruka had been so unsettled by the descriptions both of his teammates were giving him that by the time Inoichi had showed up after lunch Iruka had snapped and knocked both of his teammates out in the middle of the street. 

That was how Iruka went from flower arranging to working as a tea server at a brothel on his first long term mission. 

Granted, for the first few days Inoichi had hitched a ride in his mind but when it was revealed that she was not actually adding Iruka to the menu at the brothel, the jonin had decided to keep on his search with the other merchants. Inoichi had found some suspicious foreigners at the docks and was determined to see what they were up to. 

“And this will be good training.” Inoichi nodded as he sat down all three of them. “It’s important to learn how to blend in all sorts of surroundings and sometimes finding odd jobs like this one can get you experience that will only help you in the future.”

“All sorts of experience.” Azusa leered at Iruka, the pony tailed teen pulling his arm back to punch his friend in the face before Hayate pulled him back so that he couldn’t. 

“Yes, all sorts.” Inoichi rolled his eyes. “We’ll move training to early mornings for all three of you, since this means that I’ll need both of you guys to stay at the cart while Iruka is at his new job.”

Azusa and Hayate both started pouting at this. They were really bad at flower arranging and knew that this meant Inoichi was going to make them read more of his books. 

It was towards the end of month four, Iruka had been working as a server for a few weeks, that Iruka had stumbled onto the smugglers. He had tripped over his yukata, not quite used to it’s length since it was a little too long but Riko had insisted on it, when he had fallen into on one of the visitors. 

Knocking both him and the visitor over. The scary guest who worked at the docks and Iruka was supposed to avoid, Inoichi-sensei had made sure Iruka knew those instructions clearly. In the process of falling over, Iruka had also knocked the box the man was carrying to the ground, where it shattered and bags of rice as well as scrolls with Iwa symbols on the fell to the ground. 

Iruka had seen one of the man’s friends pull out a sword, cursing as he did before Riko-chan had started yelling at the men and Iruka. Someone else had started yelling about the scrolls on the ground, but Riko-chan was more concerned about why someone had pulled out a sword on one of her workers. 

Women and men started running through the halls, chaos breaking out as people tried to figure out what was happening. Iruka had managed to duck the first swing of the blade but before he had a chance to pull out his own weapon in defense suddenly the attacker was put down by an angry drunk with long white hair. 

“Stop making a scene while I’m trying to research!” The man had yelled as Iruka pulled Riko-chan behind him, making sure she wasn’t in harm’s way. 

The man blinked at Iruka. 

Iruka blinked back. 

And that was how Jiraiya had helped Iruka bring down smugglers. Iruka had been glad that he had managed to keep his cover with Riko-chan, who seemed to not like shinobi despite the fact that she was grateful for Jiraiya's help. The old man had laughed before he walked away, Iruka letting him know that he should stop by Inoichi’s flower stand for free bouquet as thanks. 

Jiraiya had just nodded with a smile before he disappeared. 

All in all, it was a good mission, as far as Iruka was concerned. 

“Does this mean we don’t get paid, since technically Jiraiya-sama did all the work?” Hayate grumbled into his breakfast while Inoichi shrugged. 

“We’ll see when we get back.” 

“I can’t believe you’re still working there.” Azusa sighed as he glared at Iruka. “I thought you would be done with it now that the mission is over.”

“Riko-chan pays well.” Iruka laughed as he finished putting on his yukata. He had found better ways to hide his weapons on the inside after some help from Inoichi but he was beginning to like this style of dress. He was almost going to be sad to go back to his old uniform. 

And Riko-chan did pay him well. It helped that most of the women customers loved having Iruka as their server until their own entertainment showed up. He had even gotten a few offers for his first time that had Iruka beet red for days but Iruka knew that they were just teasing him. 

He hoped.

“Just make sure she knows today is your last day.” Inoichi smirked before drinking some of his tea. “Today is our last day so I’m going to be closing out any leftover business. I want us to be ready to leave at sundown.”

Iruka just smiled and gave his sensei a small bow before he made his way out. He had finished his first B-class mission and he hadn’t even been a genin for a full year yet. Iruka smiled as he made his way down the street, making sure to greet everyone he recognized with a small bow and smile. Uzutoshi was always crazy busy but after staying there for this long, it didn’t take long to recognize who was local and who was not. 

Iruka paused as he made it to the part of the path that overlooked the ocean. There was a light fog today but he didn’t mind. He had been hoping to have more time off to actually going to Uzushio but the mission was the priority. Once he made it back to Konoha he could see how much money he had earned and could figure out if he had enough to make a trip back on his own. 

“Don’t space out too much.” Iruka jumped slightly as Riko-chan walked up beside him, clearly on her way to work as well. “You shouldn’t be thinking of home until you properly said your goodbyes to everyone here.”

“I’ve learned many things over the past few months Riko-chan.” Iruka put his nose in the air as if to mock her. “And the first thing was that you are not actually a mind reader.”

“Don’t get smart with me.” Riko pinched his arm and Iruka yelped before letting her walk a few steps ahead of him. Riko just smiled as the continued their walk. “I got news that we have a very special guest for your last day, so expect your best behavior.”

“Of course, Riko-chan.” Iruka sighed with a smile. 

Iruka greeted all the women in the house with a low bow, making sure to speak softly to them. He learned quickly that while they all had their own wild personalities, the meeker he seemed the more they cooed over him. If the worst thing that they could do to him was untie his hair, then he was counting himself lucky. 

He was not expecting to see Raido standing outside the first room he was supposed to be preparing. Iruka paused, blinking slowly as Raido also stared at him with some surprise. 

So Raido hadn’t known he would be there. 

“Oh! Ignore the shinobi, Iruka.” Riko waved at Raido’s general direction as she passed by in the hall. “They’ll just watch to make sure you don’t poison our special guest but they won’t get in your way.”

“O-of course.” Iruka stammered, giving Raido a small bow before he entered the room. Raido following quickly and shutting it behind himself as he held up the signal for silence for a few moments before lowering it. 

“We were not expecting someone like you here.” Raido actually sounded apologetic and Iruka flushed hoping that the man wasn’t getting the wrong idea of him working in a brothel. Surely Konoha didn’t let genin whore themselves...Iruka didn’t want to think about that so he stomped that thought quickly. 

“Didn’t expect a boy?” Iruka asked with almost genuine curiosity before he shook his head. “Today is my last day, my master wants me to return with him to the capital.” 

Iruka made sure to keep with his cover story as he started dusting the room, opening the windows to let it air out before moving to the futons to fold them in a way where they were able to unfold quickly and without fuss. He paused slightly as he was setting up the tea set so that whoever took this room would only have to ask for hot water and whichever leafs they wanted. “Is there something that I can help you with, shinobi-san?”

Raido smirked at that before he made a maybe motion with his head. He paused for a second and then stood up. “Thank you for preparing the room.”

Iruka nodded and did a small bow before he continued throughout his day. He caught a glimpse of Raido again, this time with Aoba by his side. Both men didn’t even look his way but he knew they were aware of him as he knelt outside different rooms to bring drinks or anything else that was asked for. Iruka had been thankful that they only requested him at the beginning of these private parties, he did not want to be the person they might reach out to once things started to happen. 

He was in the middle of pouring tea at the entrance way for all the guests who were enjoying the bar and the special sort of company they could find there when he felt a familiar chakra at the entrance. He glanced at the windows to see that it was nearing dark and he wondered if Inoichi had come to pick him up. He made sure to put his tray at the bar with a bow and a smile as he made his way to the entrance only to find Inoichi talk with Riko-chan off to the side. 

He made a confused face before he spotted Hayate waving at him from outside, so Iruka made his way over to see his teammates looking nervous. 

“What’s happening?” Iruka whispered as he saw Riko-chan and Inoichi shake hands. He turned his attention back to his friends as Hayate coughed. 

“Inoichi-sensei just sold you to a brothel.” Azusa stated plainly and Iruka went red in the face. 

“What?!”

Iruka didn’t know at the time but it would be almost three years before he saw Konoha again. And if he had known about everything he was about to deal with, he might have not agreed to go on the Uzutoshi mission in the first place. 

\---

“Wood style…”

“Hmm? Kakashi, you say something?” Gai was leaning way to close. Kakashi shoved his friend back quickly, almost knocking both Asuma and Gai off the stools they were on. 

“No.” Kakashi stated plainly and he ignored the sighs on the other side of the table. 

He was supposed to be bonding, connecting with his peers but Kakashi felt so empty. Like he was trying to grab ahold of something that should have been right in front of him but he was only finding emptiness. 

“Did you guys hear about Inoichi-sensei?” Kurenai was leaning against Genma who was pouting because Asuma was glaring at him. 

Kakashi could see his friends, could even name the things he liked about them. Why he wanted them to be his friends in the first place and yet…

“I heard that he had to split up his team, apparently him and one of his genin were assigned to some long term mission while out in the field.” Asuma hummed. “Who was in his squad?”

“Azusa, Hayate, and Iruka.” Ebisu stated quickly, Kakashi almost scoffed ‘book worm’ under his breath but remained silent. 

There was a cough and everyone turned slightly to see a sickly looking genin, standing next to him was a girl with purple hair. Kakashi eyes both of them, wondering where they would end up. Both clearly talented. 

“Yes?” Kurenai blinked at them. 

“I’m Hayate.” The sickly one sighed. “Yugao thought that I should clear any gossip up.”

Yugao didn’t mind being put on the spot as she lifted her chin at the group and Kakashi figured she had to be ten, maybe eleven. He eyed her stance and the way that she didn’t put her back to the door as she glared at them. 

She would make chunin this year, Kakashi guessed. 

“So, tell us what happened.” Genma huffed as he moved the senbon from one side of his mouth to the other. 

“Not much to tell, nothing happened but Iruka got pulled on another mission.” Hayate coughed a bit and Yugao stole Asuma’s glass of water and handed it to Hayate. Asuma just blinked at that before he sighed and shook his head. 

There was a moment where everyone started talking over each other, clearly upset that the genin was holding back real information, even Asuma seemed frustrated. Gai laughed at the energy at the table. He turned to say something to Kakashi only to find that his eternal rival was gone. 

Gai sighed before he put on a smile and joined the group again. 

Kakashi would come back, one day. 

\---

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Inoichi was staring at Iruka like the genin might unsure of what was happening around him. Iruka just stood straighter to looks his sensei in the eye. 

“Yes, I’m sure.” Iruka paused for a moment thinking about the mission he had already agreed to months ago. But he understood his sensei’s hesitation, Inoichi was being called back to village and that meant that Iruka was going to have new handlers and new people to work with. 

Iruka frowned slightly as Inoichi seemed to be hesitating, it didn’t seem like a hard mission to Iruka but he knew that was most likely his inexperience talking. Konoha had apparently been trying to get someone in Riko-chan’s brothel for quite some time, but the old lady had an eye for shinobi and had always been able to spot them...until Iruka. 

Iruka, for the most part, tried to not be offended by that. 

But Riko-chan’s...hotel...as Inoichi-sensei had started describing it in some mission reports, her hotel was a central point for all information in Uzutoshi. Apparently, she had even known about the smuggling ring but since it was something small like shinobi secrets, she had just decided to let it handle itself. 

Iruka really wanted to know what she considered “big” enough for her to act on. 

Then again, maybe he didn’t. 

Iruka had gotten a job at the “hotel” because he had reminded Riko-chan of her past connections with Uzushio, but all that Konoha cared about was that he had gotten the job. 

Apparently, when Raido had seen Iruka at the brothel, the reason he had been so surprised is because Raido has spent a 6 month mission a year ago trying to get in, only to come back to Konoha with his head down. Iruka hadn’t been trying to get a job there, and had gotten one quickly and also one that worked behind the scenes in the hotel’s actual operation. 

It was perfect for passing information. 

“Inoichi-san, you better get going or Yuuka-san is going to come here herself.” Raido sighed at the older man. “Aoba and I will make sure that he keeps up his training and that he learns all the signs.”

“I’ve already learned all the signs.” Iruka fell back on the floor. He didn’t bother to fight the whine in his voice. “I haven’t had a day off since you told Riko-chan that I decided to stay in Uzutoshi and now that I have one, I want to work on my seals.”

They were still in the room that Inoichi had rented out for the original mission and Iruka was now renting out fully. Their landlord had been excited that Iruka had decided to make Uzutoshi his new home and given him a good deal. No one was supposed to know about his hidden roommates Raido and Aoba, who were only going to be there for a few more months before they switched out with other jonin. 

“Iruka-kun.” Inoichi knelt down to ruffle Iruka’s hair. “You’ve done an amazing job so far, but I need you to remember that you’re a genin so please don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone.”

“I’m going to start my own ninja village here and take over the world.” Iruka stated flatly as he glared up at his sensei. “Konoha will be first to go.”

“Smart.” Aoba smirked. “Are we allowed to join your resistance?”

“Ha!” Iruka sat up to throw a pillow at Aoba but the jonin caught it easily. “As if I would trust you good for nothing spies.”

“If we’re good for nothing, what does that make you?” Raido shot back. “You’re like, half a spy.”

Inoichi just watched them bicker for a bit more before he made his way out. Iruka knew that he was going to miss his sensei but he was also looking forward to seeing who else he worked with while he was here. He hadn’t gotten any official mission statements from the Hokage, but it seemed like he would be in Uzutoshi for a few more months before they called him back most likely. 

He was a genin after all. 

\---

Kakashi sat in his backyard, staring at his hands. 

He had frozen. 

He had had a chance to kill that snake but he had frozen. 

“Kakashi.” He sat up a bit, turning to look back at Gai who scratching his stomach. “I was going to go in town for drinks, want to join?”

Kakashi just gave a small shake of his head before he went back to looking as his yard. His vegetable garden was suffering from lack of attention, Kakashi would need to fix that soon if he wanted to have his own crop next year. 

He could feel Gai hesitating in the house and didn’t bother to tell his friend that he was all right. 

Kakashi didn’t like to use empty words. 

And Gai hated to hear them. 

Kakashi glanced around at the woods that surrounded his house and thought about the acres that were his and what was part of Konoha. Maybe he could build walls around his house with a gate, firmly establish the Hatake estate before the name died with him. 

The silver haired ANBU set back and listened to Gai’s movements before his friend eventually left the house. 

Kakashi wondered how long Gai was going to stay here but it didn’t really matter. 

Gai could stay however long he wanted.

The silver haired shinobi wasn’t sure how it worked, but apparently Gai had become a ground force for Kakashi. Despite the crazy challenges and his brash behavior, Kakashi hadn’t had another episode since that time in the mission room and Kakashi knew that it was in a large part Gai’s fault. Kakashi didn’t think he talked anymore than he had before, but apparently Gai just knew what Kakashi wasn’t saying. 

It was nice having someone who in some ways understood. 

Maybe not everything, Kakashi would never want Gai to truly understand the darkness inside of his mind. But Gai understood that there was darkness there, and he accepted it. 

Or maybe none of it mattered and Kakashi was actually closer to breaking than he had been before. 

Only time would tell. 

\---

“You’ve gotten much better at this.” Hana smiled at Iruka in the mirror’s reflection. “I didn’t have to correct you once.”

“It’s easier now.” Iruka admitted with a slight blush as he finished off another braid and pinned it up with a flower that he weaved into her hair to keep it up. Hana and Kaori sat in front of him, letting him help them prepare for the day. “Thank you guys for letting me practice so many times.”

“Of course!” Kaori laughed while she grabbed Iruka’s long hair. “You really should let me play with yours sometime, I promise to be nice.”

“I’ve seen what your version of ‘nice’ is.” Iruka glared at her, not impressed. “And I prefer to stay on your good side.”

“Ruka-kun.” Kaori pouted, and Iruka flushed because he could see down her kimono when she leaned forward like that. He forced his eyes up so that he was staring at her eyes. Only her eyes. 

“I would love to see you two together.” Iruka, Kaori, and Hana jumped at the voice before Kaori laughed and made her way over the the man at the door to the dressing room. 

“Oh, Ten-kun.” Kaori purred. “I bet me and Iruka could give you quite the show.”

“No!” Iruka squawked at that. Ten-chan, or actually Tenyo for his actual name, just smiled at Iruka as he pulled Kaori against him. Ten-chan was a regular at the brothel and while he often only came to see Kaori, that didn’t mean that he didn’t like to bother the other women, or men, who worked for Riko-chan. 

“I promised Inoichi-sama that I wouldn’t sell Iruka’s first time until he came of age.” Riko-chan walked into the room, two of the other girls on her heels before she sat them in front of Iruka and waved for him to get started on their hair was well. Iruka knew his face was red but got started right away. “Kaori, please take Ten-chan back to the other guests, where he should be.”

“Riko-chan is so stingy.” Tenyo whined in a voice that was much too high for someone his age and then left, giving Iruka some peace. 

Iruka wasn’t sure what Tenyo did for a living, considering he spent a large portion of his time and money at Riko-chan’s place. The only thing Iruka knew for sure was that he did not like Tenyo. He had made sure to put the man on his suspicious characters list that he had given Raido and Aoba. 

“Iruka-kun, when you’re finished with these two, could you change into this?” Riko-chan handed him a lot of heavy fabric, the design clearly set to one of the nicer kimono’s she kept on hand. “You’re going to be attending on the governor's son tonight and I need you to look the part.”

“Oh!” The girls Iruka was helping with their hair cooed at that before the younger one, Rei, glanced at Iruka. “I didn’t know that you were going to start taking clients.”

“I’m not.” Iruka’s voice cracked as he glanced at Riko-chan. “I’m not?”

Riko-chan just made her way out, before Iruka could say anything else the two girls were on top of him, pulling him out of his simple yukata while Iruka yelped, trying to cover himself. He knew there was no point, this wasn’t the first time they had stripped him down to change his cloths, he often felt like their doll more than their assistant. 

Thankfully, he had learned to hide his weapons around the establishment and not on his person very quickly. 

He had been here a year.

Iruka hadn’t seen Konoha in a year, and while knew that he had two jonin watching out for him in the town, sometimes it was easy to forget that he was not actually a brothel worker. His serving duties had graduated to flower arranging, which he ended up teaching many of the women who had been interested, and they taught him how to do hair in return. 

Hana had been trying to teach him out to flirt with his wrists, or by showing even less skin, before he had gotten dragged into doing hair for the day. Hana was one of the older girls and had been with Riko for a while, she was nice and seemed eager to teach Iruka tricks of the trade before he was forced to get any hands on experience. 

Iruka didn’t know how he felt about that assumption for his future.

“You look amazing!” Rei started braiding his hair immediately and Iruka was able to get her to not use any flowers, but it just meant that she was using baubles instead. “Don’t be nervous, you’re probably just window dressing.”

Iruka still didn’t understand why people kept insisting he could play the part of a wallflower or window dressing while he was at work. Despite his rather simple features, he at least thought the scar would keep people away. 

“I know.” Iruka smiled at Rei, she was only a few years older than Iruka and the genin often wondered how she had ended up here. But he knew better than to ask. “Riko-chan was just picking on me.”

They all laughed at that, since Riko-chan picked on everyone. Iruka had a hard time walking with so many layers but was able to make it to one of the side rooms where Hana was waiting for him with a smile. Iruka relaxed a bit at the sight of her, it mean he really was just window dressing. Just a pretty scarred flower off to the side to serve tea or sake. 

“Thank you for your patience.” Hana’s voice was like music and all the men cheered before Hana made her way to the main guest, some old man who was clearly celebrating something big. 

Iruka started pouring drinks, keeping an eye on the other ladies who came and went from the party. It was the middle of the week so that meant business would be a little slow. He was in the middle of pouring one drink when he recognized a hand symbol from the guy sitting across the table. 

He didn’t bother looking up, didn’t even pause in his pouring as he motioned that he understood. He finished serving the other mean and even fended off one really uncomfortable advance before he let Hana know that he was going to step out for a bit. She gave him a smile and Iruka made it in the hall to find Genma smirking at him from an empty room. The brunette was in a simple suit that made him look like a bad gambler. 

Definitely not someone that Riko-chan would pay any attention to. 

Iruka let himself get pulled in, for appearances sake--just in case--but they separated as soon as the door shut. Iruka huffed as Genma blushed at the sight of him. “You shouldn’t let them dress you like this...it’s…”

Iruka gave Genma his best coy smile, thinking of how Kaori would look at Tenyo. He let his sleeve roll a bit down his hand so that a bit of his wrist was showing as he brushed hair away from his ear and glanced up at the jonin. “You don’t like it, Gen--”

“Stop.” Genma shoved Iruka’s face away from him. His face definitely red now. “You’re too young to be looking at a man like that.”

“I didn’t realize you were a man.” Iruka snipped, dropping the act and showing Genma his teeth. Genma just laughed as he let the senbon move from one side of his mouth to the other. 

“Cute.” Genma pulled out a scroll from his shirt and handed it over to Iruka. “Here is that recipe you were asking for, I hope you like it.”

More recipes, Iruka sighed. He knew it was code but he was getting tired of reading and passing all these recipes for weird dishes. Iruka nodded for Genma to continue as he put the scroll against his stomach, glad that his undergarments had pockets just for this sort of message passing. Genma leaned forward, and whispered low enough that Iruka had to watch his lips. “Orochimaru went rogue, if you see him then you report immediately. Do not engage.”

It was like ice water was poured over him. 

“Oro--”

Genma silenced him with a look before nodding. There was a commotion outside and Iruka had to take a few deep breaths as he tried to calm down at the news. 

Orochimaru defected?!

Was Anko okay?

He didn’t have time to react though, because suddenly Genma was gone and Iruka was being yelled at for not pouring more drinks for the guests. The rest of the night was a rush. Iruka knew that he had gone to other rooms, had made conversations and remembered smiling at the right moments and laughing with a few of the lady patrons as they played with his hair. 

He remembered Riko-chan giving him a worried glance but she didn’t say anything so Iruka forced himself to move forward. It wasn’t until he was shutting the door to his apartment that all the air finally escaped him. 

What was happening? Why was he here? What was the point of these stupid messages? He should be back in Konoha--he should be with Anko. 

Was his friend okay? 

Was--

“Iruka, you need to breath.” A voice spoke from behind him and Iruka’s body was already moving. He kicked the intruder’s legs to the side, knocking the figure over before he held them down to the ground. 

Iruka was panting with wide eyes as he stared down at Ebisu… 

That’s right, if Genma had come to give him the news then that meant that Ebisu was going to be holding down the fort at his apartment. There were always teams of two in Uzutoshi. Always two higher ranked shinobi to keep an eye on and provide back up for Iruka. 

The wayward genin who was on a mission where he was stuck in a place away from home. Away from his friends. 

Ebisu’s sunglasses had fallen off his face at Iruka’s attack, he was staring up at Iruka with a slightly surprised face before he glanced at the kunai that Iruka had to his throat. Iruka rolled off him quickly, dropping the weapon as he crawled away until his back hit the wall. He was taking large breaths as Ebisu got up and brushed his shoulders off. 

“You’ve gotten better at your reactions.” Ebisu stated calmly. “But you should have sensed me before you even opened the door. I hadn’t been hiding my chakra.”

Iruka nodded, feeling his senses calm as Ebisu went back to his instructor mode. 

“I told Genma not to tell you while you were at work.” Ebisu tsked before he put his glasses back on, despite the fact that it was dark in the apartment. “Did he give you the scroll? You should read it and pass off the information, no matter what is happening back home, your job is important and you need to continue to do it. 

Iruka wanted to argue. 

How was this so important, why couldn’t they do it if it was so important? Why was he filling out all these stupid recipes when he could be back home with Anko? But he bit back any words. 

Ebisu was right, he had a job to do. 

Iruka nodded, taking off his shoes before he continued his nightly routine. It didn’t take long before he was copying down the recipe, this time for on odd version of tonkatsu, onto three different scrolls. He had to divide the recipe up into three different parts, making sure nothing was repeated on the other scrolls before he sealed them up and gave them to Ebisu. 

He was not sure what Ebisu did with them, but they were always gone the next day even though Ebisu was still there. 

He would make sure to write to Anko the next time it was time to change supervisors. He would also ask Inoichi-sensei if there was a chance he could come back for a week or two for his friend. He knew that Riko-chan would be willing to let him go for a short time. 

“Get some sleep, Iruka-kun.” Ebisu’s voice was quiet and Iruka found himself nodding again. “There will probably be a lot more traffic over the next few weeks, so be prepared.”

Iruka tried to ask for more information but he was already falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

\--

“Can I take them out now?” 

“No, not yet.” Teuchi laughed as he watched Ayame carefully as she boiled the noodles. She was pouting, standing on her stool as she watched over the noodles carefully. 

It would be some time before she could do this on her own, but he couldn’t help the swell of pride in his heart that she wanted to learn. She had been so adamant that morning that Teuchi hadn’t been able to say no. 

“Good afternoon, Teuchi-san!” Teuchi and Ayame both turned with a smile as Hiruma and his fiance Namaiki walked into the stand. 

“Our favorite couple!” Teuchi laughed before quickly pulling Ayame’s noodles out of the hot water as his daughter ran off to hug their guests. He would have to yell at her about kitchen safety later, for now he would let her milk the attention of the happy couple.

“The usual.” Hiruma smiled before kissed Namaiki on her cheek. Namaiki blushed beautifully before she turned her attention to Ayame and they started talking about Ayame’s school lessons. 

“I see you both have matching tattoos now.” Teuchi motioned to both Hiruma’s and Namaiki’s spiral tattoos that were on their upper arms. He knew that it meant both of them were in the ANBU but he didn’t quite understand what that meant. 

Just that, if they died, he would probably be the last to know as a civilian. 

“Don’t make that face, old man.” Hiruma laughed, giving Teuchi a kind smile. “Namaiki is the best there is, she’s good enough to watch her back and mine.”

“I’ll take care of him, promise.” Namaiki smiled at Teuchi. “But thank you for your concern.”

Teuchi just shook his head before he finished putting their bowls together. 

Ninjas. 

\---

Iruka couldn’t believe his luck. 

“--and then the old man just fell over!” The goon Iruka was currently pouring sake for was laughing loudly with his group of friends. The other been somehow laughing even louder as the large man’s story continued. “Pissed himself and I still made him pay me.”

“Watch it, Souta!” The man who Kaori was currently leaning on leered at the other women in the room. “We have ladies with us.”

Iruka didn’t bother listening to what the men were saying then as they only got more vulgar. Iruka was only meant to go in the room and then out after he poured his drinks but he had recognized the faces of two of the men as missing-nin. Very wanted, very dangerous, missing-nin. He made sure to pour the last of his sake before he bowed and made his way out of the room, doing his best to be silent and hoping that the men hadn’t noticed him as he shut the door. 

“Everything okay?” Iruka let out his breath as he turned to smile at Rei. 

“Of course. They’re just not the type of customer I like.” Iruka kept his voice low and Rei nodded her head in agreement. No one liked thugs like these, but they often paid the most when they were drunk and happy so Riko-chan allowed them for now. 

“What kind do you like?” Riko-chan purred as she turned in the hall, giving Iruka a look that had the teen flushing brightly. 

“I--” Iruka tried to say something but only forced noises came out. Both Rei and Riko-chan laughed at him before Rei went into the room and Riko-chan pulled Iruka with her back into the kitchens.

“I know that I only hired you to help out with the kitchens and other odd jobs but if you ever want to pursue the lifestyle, just let me know.” Riko-chan paused as she let her hands play with Iruka’s hair. “I could find you a nice man or woman, if you wanted.”

Iruka knew his face was red but kept his gaze down as he shook his head. “I’m not...it’s not…”

Riko-chan just sighed before she pushed him into the kitchens and continued on her walk towards the front. The cooks in the kitchen just rolled their eyes at Iruka as he laid his head on the counter to try and cool off his blush. The teen closed his eyes and let the noise of the orders from the bar and other rooms roll over him. 

“You’re too shy for this place.” Iruka glanced up to see Tenyo smiling at him. “You’ve been here long enough that you should be used to it by now.”

“Leave him alone, it’s part of his appeal.” Tsuki, the large chef swatted at Tenyo for once again ending up where he wasn’t supposed to go. “Go back to the bar. Employees only back here.” 

“Maybe Iruka-kun should join me?” Tenyo leered and Iruka found himself shaking his head as he blushed again. “Too bad.”

Iruka waited to make sure he was safe in the kitchen with Tsuki muttering under their breath. He still had the other men to worry about in the other room. 

He would need to report the missing-nin tonight when he got home. Currently the shinobi with him were Shikaku and Aoba, both seemed oddly distracted when Iruka saw them. He had gotten his updates from Konoha in silence as Shikaku handed over letters before he continued to berate Aoba for something that Iruka didn’t understand. The teen hadn’t bothered paying attention, was just excited to get news from Hayate and Azusa, though he was sad to see that once again there was no letter from Mizuki or anyone else. 

Apparently Tsunade had also left the village, though on a personal quest and not by defecting. Iruka sighed as he thought about how all three sannin had left Konoha and wondered what was happening in his village without him there. 

Not that it mattered because Iruka was pretty sure he was going to be in Uzutoshi for a while longer. 

Which brought him back to his new problem: the missing-nin. 

Iruka stared at his empty apartment with confusion. He thought it had felt empty as he approached it but as he took off his sandals he realized that he was truly alone. It was odd because while Iruka always walked by himself, there had always been someone waiting for him at his apartment. 

Always. 

The genin bit his lip as he thought about what he should do. He had been hoping to convince Shikaku to let him go investigate the missing-nin tonight and maybe help with their arrest if it came to that but now that no one was here...Iruka put his hands on his hips. 

It was most likely that Aoba and Shikaku had found something that needed both of their attention and they would be returning soon. There was also a chance that the missing-nin would sleep off their booze and leave the town in the morning and then Iruka would miss his big chance at getting some experience in detaining shinobi. The teen tapped his fingers on his hips for a few moments before he made his way over the storage closet and pulled out a large chest filled with weapons. 

He would investigate the missing-nin on his own, check to see if they were leaving town, and then come back to report to Shikaku. 

Surely the man would be back by that point. 

“I’ll leave a note.” Iruka hummed as he pulled out some paper and wrote quickly. He made sure to change into one of his looser yakata so that he could hide his weapons easier and then made his way back out onto the street. He would run back to the brothel first and then trace the men's’ steps from there, though he had a feeling they would end up in the docks. 

All bad guys used the docks. 

It didn’t take long, mostly because the streets were less busy at night. One of the great things about Uzutoshi was that it never really closed down, so Iruka didn’t have to worry about seeming suspicious as he made his way closer to the ocean. Iruka had already passed the brothel and was about to turn on one of the side streets to get closer to the docks when he noticed the familiar swaying figure of Souta. 

The big one, Iruka’s eyes narrowed as the man stumbled down a few feet before collapsing on the ground with a grunt. 

Iruka waited and found himself worrying his bottom lip as it seemed like no one else was around. Had they all returned without Souta? Had they left him behind? Should Iruka just report him now that he was clearly alone and drunk enough to be harmless?

The teen shook his head, he should find out where they were staying and what they were up to. Then he would go back and inform Shikaku. 

Yes. 

That made total sense. 

Iruka took a breath before he relaxes his posture and wobbled down the street. If anyone glanced at him or saw him, they would think he was just a tired kid heading home to sleep. He made his way over the big man before walking straight up to the body and poking it with his foot. 

“Old man.” Iruka sighed, poking him again. “You can’t sleep here, old man.”

“M’not old.” Souta groaned and Iruka poked him again with his foot to make a point. “Leave me.”

Iruka just let out a loud sighed, hopefully making himself seem more petulant and young. “If the cops see you sleeping out here like this they’ll put you in for the night. You should go home to sleep instead of using the street.”

Souta seemed to wake up more at the mention of cops before he started to push himself up. The man swayed a bit before he grabbed onto Iruka to steady himself. He blinked slowly as if seeing Iruka for the first time before he tried to let go to take a few steps only to stumble and Iruka found himself holding the man up with a grunt. 

“You l’k familiar.” Souta breathed and Iruka’s face and the genin scrunched his nose as he glared at the large man. 

“And you smell bad.” The man laughed and Iruka just sighed, before glancing around the alley. “Where are you staying? If it’s close I can walk you some of the way.”

Souta didn’t say anything, just pointed towards the docks and Iruka let out another sigh as he helped the man down the street. The closer they got to the docks, the emptier the streets would be and Iruka wasn’t sure he wanted to be with the man in complete isolation. There was a part in the streets where it turned from stone to the wood of the docks and Iruka told himself to not cross that line. 

A sense of unease came over him as they made it closer and closer to the line. 

He had screwed up, hadn’t he. 

Iruka paused before he closed his eyes. Shikaku was going to be pissed. 

“Ah, you realized it.” Souta stood suddenly, not needing any help. “I was wondering when you would notice or if you would.”

“How did-” Iruka stopped talking as Souta grabbed his chin and placed his thumb on Iruka’s mouth. 

“You were at Riko-chan’s, you’re one of hers.” Souta seemed to be thinking of something as he rubbed his thumb against Iruka’s lips before sighing. “Too bad I don’t have time tonight.”

“Time for--” Iruka paused against as he felt the wind pick up around him. He stumbled as suddenly water was pushing him over the edge of the boat--the boat--how was he on a boat? 

Iruka stumbled forward, the storm was insane. He had to duck as rope and debris flew across the ship. Iruka tried to wipe the water out of his eyes but suddenly there was a huge wave sending him to the floor. He barely managed to grab the edge of railing before the boat righted itself and Iruka was able to breath. 

He was...it was...Iruka tried to remember where he had been. Something was wrong. 

There was something pulling him. 

Iruka tried to fight back only to realize it was too late. The boat was sinking and he was already waist deep in the ocean. The waves getting bigger and bigger around him as he tried to stay on for as long as he could but it was a losing battle and suddenly he was in the current. Iruka reached out to grab anything that would help him float but it was useless. 

Iruka was floating, the rain pelting his face before suddenly he was under the waves. He kept his eyes open even in the darkness and could swear that he saw the moon above him but it was too late. 

He was drowning. 

He was going to drown and no one would know. 

“Kai!” 

Iruka gasped as he was being pulled out of the water by two sets of arms. He struggled for a few moments as he remembered Souta before he recognized the voices. 

“Idiot! You’re on the shore!” Aoba was pissed. 

“--you know how long we had to look for you?” Shikaku was even scarier.

Iruka gagged before he turned away from both of them to spit up the salt water that he had swallowed. Once he was done coughing he turned to see Aoba still holding onto his yukata while Shikaku looked pale as he was checking him over. 

“The missing--” Iruka tried, his throat felt raw. 

“We got him, and his crew.” Aoba shoved Iruka away from him now that he was sure the teen was fine before he got up and started pacing. His arms going everywhere as Iruka sat in the wet sand, his hair sticking to his face. “Do you know what would have happened if I hadn’t had felt your chakra flare in panic? YOU WOULD HAVE DROWNED IN THREE FEET OF WATER!”

Iruka realized that he had indeed almost drowned in one of the shallow pools beneath the dock. 

“While I appreciate the initiative…” Shikaku spoke slowly, and Iruka knew that he wasn’t about to like what came next. “We are going to have a long, long talk when we get back to the apartment. Aoba, finish securing the area and wait for the police. Iruka, I’m taking you back.” 

Iruka just nodded, he had nothing else he could do. 

He was such a fuck up. 

\---

“Careful on your mission, I hear your captain has a hard time telling friend from foe.” The whisper was harsh and followed by some laughter. Kakashi ignored it, not bothering to look at his newest team member or the men he had been talking to as he made his way through the room. 

Kakashi knew what people thought of him. 

Knew what the ANBU thought of him. 

Maybe they were right, maybe he was so broken he could no longer tell friend from foe. But until the Hokage retired him, Kakashi was going to continue doing the missions they asked of him. 

“Captain…” Kakashi paused as he glanced back at the newest member of his team. He had seen the Crane mask around, so the kid wasn’t new to ANBU but Kakashi had never worked with him before. 

Crane tilted his head as if he wanted to say something before he straightened out. Kakashi only had to wait a few more moments before the rest of his team was there. Kakashi lifted his Hound mask and made sure it covered his face as he turned his attention to them. 

It was simple mission. 

He would make sure everyone returned and then he would take another one. 

And another. 

And if one day, he didn’t return at all then Kakashi held out hope that Gai would follow Kakashi’s last wishes and burn the Hatake estate to the ground. Hopefully with his green jumpsuit inside. 

\---

“I miss Iruka.” 

Hayate and Yugao turned to Azusa who was frowning, trying to fight the blush on his face. The taller teammate glared at his friends as if daring them to say anything else to the contrary. 

“I miss him, too.” Hayate coughed into his hand before shrugging. “The mission room always sense our letters, so at least we have that.”

“Yeah, but think about all the special training he must be getting.” Azusa sighed as he flopped in the bench next to his friends. “It’s bad enough that Mizuki beat me to chunin, but Iruka will probably be jonin level by the time he gets back.”

“Doubtful.” Yugao laughed at her friend before she sighed. “But Iruka definitely kept things interesting. Haven’t had any big pranks in the village in a while.” 

All three friends sighed as they watched the traffic at the front gate. Hayate and Yugao had gotten guard duty in the early morning and while Azusa wasn’t a chunin, he was still sitting with both of them since Inoichi-sensei was busy on another mission. 

“I wonder if he’s having a lot of sex.” Azusa sighed. 

“WHAT?!” Yugao’s face went red and Hayate started to cough harder. Azusa didn’t bother correcting himself as he just shrugged like it was a natural thought. Yugao glared at him. “Just because he’s at a brothel doesn’t mean that he--”

“But he’s surrounded by it!” Azusa tried again. This time he made some weird hand motions as he tried to make his point. “He must be getting all sorts of...hands on training.”

“Hands on--” Hayate choked. 

“Do I want to know what you guys are talking about?” Kurenai sighed as she leaned against the desk. All three of the teens shook their heads quickly. 

“They’re talking about sex.” Asuma pointed out, smirking as Hayate, Yugao, and Azusa all blushed at the word. Asuma just laughed as he made his way around the counter, grabbing the clipboard from Hayate. “Slow traffic today?”

“Yes, senpai.” Hayate spoke softly as he tried to fight his blush. 

“You guys should probably find better conversation topics next time you have a shift.” Kurenai sighed before she shooed them away. “Well, you’re off so go have fun. Make sure you file all the paperwork with the mission room before you go home.”

Yugao nodded as she grabbed Hayate and pulled him away with her. Azusa following closely behind as he didn’t make eye contact with Asuma or Kurenai. Asuma just smiled as he turned to Kurenai while she smirked back at him. “Want to talk about sex?”

“Sure.”

\---

“Iruka!” Iruka groaned at Riko-chan’s shout. His hands were already full with dishes as he tried to make it to the kitchens without dropping anything. He tried to speed up his steps but felt everything start to tilt and had to slow down. 

“Iruka! Where are you?” Riko-chan’s voice shouted again. 

“On my way!” Iruka shouted back as he finally made it to the kitchen, the staff grabbing everything out of his hands as soon as he entered before they shoved him out. Iruka felt dizzy at all the movement before he ran to the front only to find Riko-chan glaring at him. He stumbled a bit at her expression before bowing deeply, know that his face was pink from all the running around. “Sorry, Riko-chan. I came as quick as I could.”

“He is a cute one.” 

Iruka found himself lifting his head at the deep voice to see Jiraiya smiling at him. Riko-chan huffed at Iruka before turning to Jiraiya with a smile. “Do you remember him? He was here when you helped me out last time.” 

“Oh.” Jiraiya pursed his lips at that, like he actually didn’t remember Iruka before shrugging and turning to Riko-chan. “He’ll do, he exactly what I need for this next scene.”

“Writing a different kind of novel?” Riko-chan purred at that and Jiraiya blushed as he smiled at her. Iruka was just glad that Riko-chan could make this great man blush and it wasn’t just him. 

“You’ll have to see when it comes out.” Jiraiya laughed loudly before he motioned forward and Riko-chan nodded. The tall man walked past the entrance and towards the back and Iruka found himself looking at Riko-chan for any sort of help on what was happening. 

“Jiraiya-sama is a great author.” Riko-chan explained with a smile. “He does some research here when he’s in town and we are always happy to accommodate him for his...inspiration.” 

That didn’t answer Iruka’s question and he found himself slowing down as he started to think of scenarios. Riko-chan just grabbed his elbow with a laugh before she started to pull him forward. “Don’t think so poorly of me, Iruka-kun. Jiraiya-sama just wants someone to clean his ears, specifically, he wanted a young boy who could at least play the part of an innocent virgin.”

Iruka didn’t know why he blushed, even after all this time, but it was still embarrassing to have his virginity brought up like it was a natural conversation to have. Maybe it was for this place but it still through Iruka for a loop. 

He was only thirteen! 

“Is that a service we even offer?” Iruka asked, ignoring how his voice cracked. 

“We offer any and every service, Iruka.” Riko-chan tugged on Iruka’s long hair before they made it to the room that Jiraiya frequented. It looked out into the gardens and Iruka was happy to have the fresh air coming in as he made his way into the room with Riki-chan’s help. 

“How do you want me?” Iruka asked Riko-chan only to have his face go red before he glanced at Jiraiya who seemed to be laughing to himself. 

At least someone was amused by this. 

“Just sit there and Jiraiya-sama will make himself comfortable. There is no rush so don’t hurry and here are the tools.” Riko-chan placed a tray next to Iruka before she bowed and left the room. 

Iruka looked at Jiraiya before he sighed and sat on the floor, patting his legs for the older man to lay on his lap. 

“You act much cuter when she’s in the room.” Jiraiya huffed before he took off the scroll on his back and made himself comfortable so that his head was in Iruka’s lap. 

“Last time I was anything less than what she wanted I had to spend the next week mopping the floors for the whole estate.” Iruka smirked as he brushed Jiraiya’s white hair with his hand. It was much softer than he had been expecting. Jiraiya laughed at that before he hummed. 

Iruka waited a few moments, actually finding himself focused on the task before he realized that there was probably more going on. Jiraiya knew who he was and definitely knew why he was at this place. He bit his bottom lip as he tried to think of how to let Jiraiya know which code they used for Iruka’s messages before he decided to be upfront.

“Do you have any favorite recipes, Jiraiya-sama?” Iruka felt Jiraiya tense for a second under him before the older man muttered something that Iruka couldn’t quite catch. “I’m sorry.” 

“I always thought you looked more like a poet than a cook, Iruka-kun.” Jiraiya laughed as Iruka continued to clean his ear, and Iruka smiled as he found the spot on Jiraiya’s ear that the man was most ticklish. The genin was suddenly glad that his messages hadn’t been given to him in poems, it was hard enough to try and remember recipes but then to have the men and women he ran into read him poetry? 

Iruka felt his cheeks go pink. 

“I have many hobbies.” Iruka tried instead and Jiraiya chuckled before the older man just sighed. 

“Well, I have a recipe for you and it’s a bit complicated. I hope you don’t mind if I repeat it a few times.” Jiraiya chuckled again a little humorously, “I promise that it will definitely change your eating habits.” 

Iruka was not looking forward to breaking this recipe apart, but then again, he hadn’t really decoded any of them. He was curious by the time he made it home but after he wrote the message down and gave it to Aoba, the jonin just stared at it with a pale face before leaving the room. 

It would take some time before Iruka learned about the experiments that Orochimaru was doing all over the different lands, and a while longer before he learned about what happened to all the missing people that his father had been looking for before the Fox. 

Some things were unforgivable. 

Iruka really hoped that Anko made it home soon, wherever she was. 

\---

“You said no ninjutsu!” Kakashi shouted as he found himself running sideways on the cliffside, Gai was far too close behind him. 

“I said that we should keep one arm tied behind our backs, nothing about jutsu!” Gai laughed as he jumped from the top of the cliff, almost kicking Kakashi in the face on his way down but the Copy-nin was able to backflip instantly so that the hit never landed. 

Kakashi swore as he tugged at the ropes around his arm before he focused on the chakra on his feet so that he could make it back up the cliff. He was glad that it had been dry the past few days otherwise it would have been much harder to stay sideways on the deep incline. He growled as he made it to the top only to be ducking again as Gai jumped up with a kick. 

“You have to fight back at some point.” Gai laughed and Kakashi glared at his rival before he put his left arm out in front of him in a fighting stance. Gai’s eyes lit up at that as he mimicked the same stance before they ran at each other. 

It took Kakashi five moves before he was able to graze Gai’s shoulder, and two more before he actually got in a good punch. 

Why was he doing this on his day off?

“This is why I am currently leading in our match offs.” Gai gloated as he was able to kick Kakashi in the stomach and send the other ninja a few feet away from their spar. 

Oh, that’s why. 

“Let me borrow this.” Kakashi grabbed Gai’s free hand and managed to make the seals he needed as Gai tried to free his arm but it was too late. 

“Kakashi--” Gai’s voice wobbled and suddenly he was ducking the fireball that Kakashi send out of his mouth with a grin. 

“You didn’t say anything about jutsu.” Kakashi shot back as he managed to dodge a few more kicks, if he could get Gai back over the edge he could probably end this on the cliffside. Kakashi was much better at his chakra control than Gai was and they both knew it. 

“If that’s how you want to do it.” Gai smirked before he surprised Kakashi by moving his free arm so that it was also behind his back. “Now you can’t use my limbs against me!”

This was going to take forever, Kakashi found himself actually laughing to himself. 

Only Gai. 

“I’m afraid that I have to end this match.” Both teens stood straight as the Hokage smiled at them. Kakashi realized that he hadn’t even sensed the old man and judging by Gai’s expression, he hadn’t either. 

“Hokage-sama.” Kakashi and Gai did a small bow and the Hokage waved them off before turning to Kakashi. 

“You have a mission waiting for you at headquarters.” That Hokage had a certain frown to his mouth that made Kakashi realize he wasn’t going to like it. 

He would still do it, of course. 

“I’ll go now.” Kakashi bowed again before turning to Gai. “This counts as a tie.”

“If you insist.” Gai laughed, but his eyes had a tightness to them that couldn’t hide his worry about where Kakashi was about to go. Kakashi had a moment where he tried to think of something to say to help ease his friend but just shook his head and disappeared. 

Gai might not like the secrecy in Kakashi’s life, but he would have to learn to live with it or he would have to leave. 

Kakashi was always going to choose his missions over any connections he might have. 

Not matter how fun they might be. 

\---

“This place...was once beautiful.” 

Iruka nodded as he stared at the white pillars that were sticking out of the water. Spiral symbols marking buildings and their ruins to show off the once proud sign of Uzushio. 

“Don’t wander off too far.” Choza-san smiled down at Iruka. “You can go wherever you like, but make sure that you’re in my perimeter. If you want to go further in then just let me know.”

“Thank you, Choza-san.” Iruka gave the older man a small bow before he took off down the rocky path that had most likely been a road at some point. After Iruka’s complete failure a few weeks ago he had been restricted to work and the apartment only. Aoba had followed him around like a hawk and if Iruka thought about stepping out of place he was getting a lecture. 

Iruka had put in a request to go back to Konoha shortly after the incident and he had thought his request was finally being granted when Choza-san had showed up, but instead he had been convinced to stay on a little longer. At least he didn’t have to have Aoba and Shikaku breathing down his neck, this time it was Choza and Genma, and they seemed sympathetic to Iruka’s current plight. 

He hadn’t seen Konoha in 18 months at this point and Iruka was started to get homesick. 

Choza-san had distracted him however with the idea of finally going to Uzushio. It was a dangerous place to visit, apparently bandits sometimes camped out there or missing-nin used it as a hiding place, but Choza had convinced a fisherman to drop them off for the day. 

Iruka was not going to turn down what was most likely his only chance to see his parents’ home. 

The genin sighed as he glanced back to make sure that he wasn’t too far from Choza before he entered a building that was now just a shell of itself. He let his hands trace against the white stone as he tried to figure out how the house had been set up. 

Would this have been the kitchen? Or was he in the living room?

Iruka walked to the window to find it overlooking the ocean from the cliff. Had this always been the view, or was this just from the destruction. 

“You know.” Iruka turned to see Choza eyeing the walls. “I think your dad was from the main island.” 

“Oh?” Iruka perked up at that. 

Choza smiled and started nodding. “I’m afraid your mom was from one of the smaller islands, so it most likely sunk to the bottom of the ocean but your dad said he used to live on the main island. I think his parents were part of the government.”

Iruka bit his lip at that information before he glanced at the ground. Choza made an inquiring noise and Iruka shrugged slightly, still not looking up. “They never talked about their parents...at least with me.”

“Oh.” Choza sniffed a bit before he glared at the sun in the sky, Iruka glancing at the older man for a moment before looking at the ground. 

“It’s silly.” Iruka smiled to himself. He messed with the sleeves of his yukata, the only type of clothing he owned now that he had grown out of everything he had brought with him. 

Growth spurts, who knew? 

“It’s not silly to want to know about your family.” Choza stated softly before he came into the room that Iruka was in and ruffled the genin’s hair. “Now let’s eat some lunch, I brought letters from your friends for you to read while I put everything together. I also saw some caves closer to the ocean, maybe we could go check those out before the tide comes in.”

Iruka complained about his friends letters, Hayate was already a chunin and Azusa was going to be trying again in six months. Anko was still missing and while he hadn’t gotten a letter from Mizuki, Iruka knew that his friend was probably off doing missions. 

The caves were beautiful. 

Iruka had to use his chakra to walk on the wet rocks, which Choza complimented him on his control as Iruka hadn’t even needed to concentrate before he had started walking on the rocks. Iruka had been too distracted by the way that the ocean had reflected on the cave to pay attention to what the older man was saying. 

Which is probably why he fell down the hole. 

Choza was going to tell Shikaku and Inoichi-sensei about this and Iruka was never going to live it down. 

“I’m an idiot.” Iruka grumbled as he blinked in the darkness, the water was up to his waist which was not a pleasant feeling since it was so cold but Iruka didn’t want to waste chakra to stay on top of it while it was so shallow. 

He thought he had fallen straight down but when he glanced up, he only saw darkness. Iruka reached out until he felt a ragged wall and started to walk slowly around the space he was in. It was either going to be a giant hole in the ground and he would be stuck till Choza got him out, or there would be a chance that he could find a way out by just following the terrain. 

There was also a chance that his connected to the ocean again, he just hoped that it wouldn’t lead him too far away from Choza-san. 

Iruka wondered if his parents had played in the caves as children, or had they left before they were old enough to be truly daring. He could see his mom jumping into the darkness with a smile on her face, while her dad waited on the edges, waiting to know more about what he was about to get into. 

“Hmm.” Iruka paused as the wall started to smooth out. He could see flecks of light in the water, so that must mean that he was nearing some sort of exit. 

Iruka took a step forward only to feel the water suddenly surge up. He barely had anytime to take a breath before it was over his head, the stone walls now too smooth for him to grab onto. He tried to open his eyes under the water but only saw darkness as the current started pulling him in a different direction. 

Choza was going to be so mad if he died here. 

“Gah!” Iruka gasped as his broke the water but he was under again. He flailed his arms out, using his chakra to lift himself out of the water but it was moving too fast for him to get a firm footing. Iruka barely had a change to open his eyes before his head cracked against something hard and everything went black. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**  
> -Iruka works at a brothel, there is talk about selling services and inappropriate comments to a minor.  
> -At one point, a person touches Iruka's lips in a creepy way BUT nothing happens.  
> -Lots of talks and hints about sex.
> 
> Rating change: This story was always going to be E eventually, but I have finally written sex and it will be in chapter 6! That said, there will be some things happening before then that I feel suit this rating and thus decided to up it now. 
> 
> Added pairing: This is a Kakashi/Iruka story BUT this is a growing up story as well so they will have been with/might get with other people sometimes. (Not immediately, but I wanted to put this out here first.)
> 
> Reviews:   
> @Mersayde You will get more! So far there will be 11 chapters to the story, but I have a feeling it will probably make it a little longer. Once I have the final count I'll put it up so people can keep an eye on the countdown. 
> 
> @myka1231 I'm glad! I'm also glad that you dig my headcanon, haha. With fluffy_subtext, we actually built a Naruto Canon timeline together which admittedly had a few holes in it but after we were done we realized that we wanted to use it as a foundation while going crazy where we could. The only thing I'm mad about is that we had Mizuki's age wrong when I started writing so she was able to update her story with Mizuki being older than Iruka (which is apparently canon) and it was too late for me so Mizuki is Iruka's age in this story. Granted, I like them being the same age and it works well for the story I'm telling haha. 
> 
> Thank you for the reviews, I'll continue replying to any and all reviews at the end of each chapter! 
> 
> Best,


	5. Swimming in the Sea (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka's long-term mission comes to an end. Kakashi finds something that surprises him on his own mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, warning are at the bottom! 
> 
> Second and final part to "Swimming In The Sea". I hope you guys enjoyed Iruka's long-term mission!

\---

The first thing that happened when Iruka woke up was that he vomited. 

His head was pounding, and he had to blink a few times before he realized that he could see his surroundings. His hair was wet and loose, falling around his face and Iruka felt something warm and sticking on the side of face. 

He was bleeding. 

He was sure of it. 

Iruka had a moment to think of Hayate and what his friend had told him about head wounds the first time his teammate had knocked Iruka would during a spar. Something about leaving his brains behind...Iruka hissed as he gently touched the side of his hand and glanced at the sticky blood on his fingers. 

Iruka probably didn’t have too much brain left. 

“I’m in too much pain to be dead.” Iruka whispered to himself as as took a shuddering breath. He didn’t think he was going to vomit again but Iruka made sure to take several deep breaths to center himself before he sat up further. 

He was in another cave, this one seemed to be bigger and light seemed to be coming from the water. Iruka blinked a few more times before he forced himself to his feet, his yukata sticking to him oddly as he finally found his footing. He tried to tie it tighter to his body only to realize that he was missing his obi and cursed as he tried to wrap the heavy garments around himself. 

He would have to see if he could save the outfit when he got home. Hopefully the blood wouldn’t stain the fabric too much. 

Maybe if he had to go shopping again, Riko-chan would take him to a place that sold pants. 

It looked like he was in a cave and a basement, all rolled into one. Iruka glanced at the destroyed building in front of him before he realized that it wasn’t a basement. This building had clearly been above land at some point but was now in the caves after the destruction of Uzushio. 

It seemed the source of light was coming from the water and Iruka wondered if he would be able to hold his breath long enough to find if that lead to the outside. His head throbbed and reminded him of his injury and Iruka decided he should probably wait a bit before he went back into the water. Maybe he could try once the cave stopped spinning. 

The genin made his way towards the building, wondering if he could find something to use as a blanket to dry off with. Parts of it seemed untouched and Iruka made his way to it slowly, he could see molded books and destroyed scrolls on the ground. He made his way into the destroyed house, it took him a few minutes to realize that the building he was in was actually upside down. 

The air felt chilly, and Iruka didn’t know if was the head wound or the fact that was soaking wet that had him shivering as he stumbled further into the ruins. His whole body felt heavy as he forced one foot onto the other, make sure that he kept moving, using the walls to hold himself up until he tripped suddenly. 

He had tripped over a small stone chest. It was as white as the rest of the building Iruka had seen above the ground, clearly made of the same stone that the city was built with. There was a swirl symbol on the top of it and Iruka had to blind a few times before he realized that it was sealed. 

Iruka stared at the small stone chest, his world spinning sideways as he tried to reach for it before it was all going black again. 

“..ka..”

“...ru...ka…”

“IRUKA!” 

Iruka sat up suddenly before he felt arms pushing him back down. He was shivering so hard that it seemed like the hands were having a hard time keeping ahold of him but the blankets around him were too hot. He needed to breathe. He couldn’t breathe. 

“Damn, Choza-sensei.” Iruka could make out Genma’s voice and started leaning towards it. “What kind of field trip did you take him on? I think he’s actually getting worse.”

“Inoichi is going to kill me.” Choza’s voice made Iruka still even more. The older man clearly heavy with worry. “Maybe we should request a med-nin, do you think--”

“We can’t break his cover.” Genma reminded the old man. “It was bad enough you sent a signal for me but I think we got him in unnoticed. But I’m really worried about this fever. And what’s with this moldy chest that you brought back with him?”

“He was holding it when I found him, thought I should grab it too.” Choza sounded like he was getting further away. Iruka could hear them continue to talk over him but he did his best to stop struggling against their hold. He didn’t want to be a bother. 

Not again. 

“I’m...so..rry.” Iruka mumbled, unsure if they heard him as he was swallowed in darkness again. 

At this point he wouldn’t be surprised if they sent him back to the Academy when he made it back to Konoha. 

If Uzutoshi didn’t kill him first. 

\---

Kakashi paused in his garden. 

“Something wrong?” Gai sat up from where he was soaking in Kakashi’s pond. The water was dirty, Kakashi hadn’t had time to work on getting it in better shape but it was hot enough in Konoha that even mud water seemed like a good idea. 

“Hm.” Kakashi glanced at the sun before shaking his head. He was about done with the soil and then he could start planting again. 

Gai fell back into the mud with a splash and Kakashi made a mental note to get the other teen to work on the pond in the afternoon. He had finally allowed Gai in the yard, but that meant his rival was going to have to start doing some work too. 

Kakashi sighed as he waited for the bird call to come. It was only a matter of time before Team Ro was called into action. He would have to be ready. 

At least he was allowed to work in his yard this afternoon. 

Gai had forced him out of the house a few weeks ago to join their friends at the bar and while Gai had been surprising popular -- something Kakashi didn’t want to think too hard about -- Kakashi had found himself bored. He had tried to make a game out of it, tried to find a challenge in the men and women that were there but it was clear that everyone just wanted to have fun. 

The Copy-nin never liked it when things felt too easy. Kakashi had left after he was sure that Gai wasn’t going to be returning home until the next day. He had decided to take advantage of an empty house and had finished reading a book he had bought about a blind shinbi in the war. 

Kakashi didn’t know if it had been a true story, but the ending had been a sad and lonely one and teen realized that it didn’t matter if it was real or not. 

A sad ending awaited all shinobi, fictional or not. 

\---

“I can’t believe you married him.” Asuma sighed as Namaiki pulled him across the dance floor. Her cheeks were pink from all the smiling, and probably a little bit of drink, but Asuma couldn’t fault his sister-in-law. 

It was a great day. 

And she made a beautiful bride. 

“Don’t say that.” Namaiki smiled even brighter. “Soon you’ll be on your way down the aisle and then I’ll be saying the same thing to your bride.”

“Ha! You’ll be Mama-iki first.” Asuma laughed as she spluttered at that. 

“Oh, I’m not ready for kids.” Namaiki put more of her weight against Asuma, letting him take the lead. He spotted his brother on the other side of the room and was about to direct her towards the groom before he spotted his father and took them the other way. 

“He loves you, you know.” The bride sighed and Asuma just hummed. She pinched his arm and glared at him. “Your father is a great man, I know that you’ve heard this your whole life but--”

“Can we just celebrate you and Hiruma today?” Asuma cut her off with a forced smile. “Please.”

She just sighed with a small frown before she smiled again and let him drag her to across the floor again. 

“You do look beautiful, by the way.” Asuma huffed and Namaiki leered at him. 

“I’m sure Kurenai would look great in white--”

“And now I’m passing you off.” Asuma laughed as he spun her into Gai’s arms. Namaiki and Gai looked surprised at the pass off but they both laughed and started dancing. 

Asuma just shook his head before he made his way to the balcony for a smoke. 

His brother was married. 

What a crazy world. 

\---

“Look at you.” Riko-chan lifted Iruka’s face as he walked into the brothel. “Looks like you’ll be cleaning rooms and helping the kitchen again. I really don’t like this bruise.”

“I’m sorry, Riko-chan.” Iruka kept his eyes down as he flushed in embarrassment. 

It had been three weeks since his “accident” and while everyone had been so understanding about the fact that he was a klutz who fell a lot...it was still embarrassing that he couldn’t fulfill the jobs that Riko-chan needed him for. He had thought about henge-ing to cover up the mark but Genma had refused to let him since it was harder to conceal chakra when it was actively being used for such a long period of time. 

“No more private dates.” Riko-chan stated loudly causing Iruka to flush harder. 

Everyone had been on the assumption that Choza had been a rich lord who had been hoping to court Iruka, a rumor that Iruka had no idea where it came from but he didn’t bother to correct. But since Iruka had returned with the bruise, Choza had almost been ridden out of town by a bunch of shady looking men with a rather scary message from Riko-chan. 

It was probably the first time Iruka had seen a darker side of her business, and even though it was in his defense, it still worried him a bit. 

“In fact.” Riko-chan state with confidence. “I think it’s about time we start preparing you to actually entertain guest. You’re almost fourteen, it won’t be long before you really start catching eyes.”

Iruka just nodded as he kept his eyes on the ground. 

Riko-chan had been bringing up his birthday a lot recently and when Iruka had brought it up to Raido, who was now back in Iruka’s apartment after Choza (and Genma) had left town rather quickly. Raido had given Iruka a look before rather casually mentioning the fact that Iruka might be asked to take on new roles at the brothel. 

It had been an uncomfortable conversation, especially since it had take Iruka a while to figure out what he was trying to say. 

“I don’t know.” Riko-chan and Iruka both glanced to to see Tenyo smiling at them from the bar. This time Hana was at his side. “I think you should keep him innocent, it’s a good look for him.”

Riko-chan just laughed before she swatted Iruka away and the genin ran for the kitchens. He heard Riko and Tenyo continue to talk as he left but didn’t bother to listen in. 

He needed to worry about getting rid of this bruise first, then he could deal with what he might be asked to do to keep this mission going later. 

Much, much later.

Hopefully. 

\---

Anko was scared. 

Her hands trembled as she stared at the man in front of her. She was on her hands in knees as if she had fallen over and yet she couldn’t remember if she had. 

“Orochimaru-sensei…” Even her voice shook and Anko hated herself. 

She hated how weak she felt in this moment. 

Hated all the faith she had put in her sensei. 

What they were doing was wrong, she knew that. She had known that but she had had some small hope that maybe the Hokage had known about it. That she was on a mission with her sensei and without her team. 

All of this had been for the village. 

Only…

“Oh, Anko.” Orochimaru was leaning towards her, his large hands pushing the hair from her face as the mark on her neck screamed at his contact. “You had been such a promising student.” 

“I...I’m sorry.” And Anko hated the fact that she was sorry. She was sorry that she couldn’t follow him into whatever madness he was going. 

She couldn’t. 

Anko heard him say something else but it didn’t matter as the world spun around her. She closed her eyes and wondered if she was going to die. 

If she was going to end up as one of the experiments on Orochimaru’s table. 

\---

“Happy birthday!”

Iruka groaned into his pillow as he opened his eyes slowly to see both Raido and Inoichi-sensei smiling above him. 

“No.” Iruka muttered before he pulled the blanket around himself and curled further into his futon. He heard some movement around him and that was the only warning he got before suddenly cold water was poured on top of him. “AHHH!”

“Wake up! It’s your birthday and your day off so that means I’m going to train you while Raido holds the fort.” Inoichi’s voice was stern before he went over to the door and Iruka finally woke up enough to see the two packs waiting for them. 

“B-but it’s my birthday.” Iruka found himself whining. 

He didn’t care if they judged him. He didn’t want to train on his birthday, in fact, it had been the one thing he had asked of his teammates the day before. 

“C’mon, Iruka.” Raido laughed as he tugged Iruka off the wet futon and started to pulled it over the window. They would have to leave it in the sun if they were going to make sure it dried in time for Iruka to sleep tonight. 

Iruka just sighed before he got up to change his clothes only to see a new pair of pants and shirt where his usual off-duty yukata was. He found himself blinking at it before he turned to Inoichi to see the man smiling at him and Iruka smiled back. 

Pants. 

He finally had a pair of pants. 

Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad afterall. 

\---

Kakashi hated escort missions, particularly when he was ANBU. 

Give him someone to kill or something to hunt, give him his own team, give him anything but a bunch of elite lords of the land pretending to have a business meeting a brothel. 

No one was fooled. 

“Hound-senpai.” Kakashi turned to Eagle who was sitting on the edge of the roof. Kakashi gave them a small nod and Eagle continued. “Have you found the person of interest?”

And the second part of Kakashi’s mission that he wasn’t too fond of. Apparently Konoha had finally managed to get source inside Riko-chan’s ‘Den Of Sin’, Aoba’s words, and Kakashi’s team was meant to retrieve a message from them. 

The only problem was that since Konoha was so secretive about their new source, no one knew who it was or what they would looked like, not even Kakashi. The silver haired ANBU glanced back towards the the employee entrance, which he had been watching all night, to see if anyone would spark on his radar but so far it had been nothing. 

“Captain.” Kakashi turned slightly to let Tiger know that he had heard him. Tiger continued, “The daimyo has just arrived with his son, we’re about to head to our stations.”

“Good.” Kakashi turned so that he was looking at the other two ANBU, he didn’t work with them often but he knew what to expect from them. “Stay out of sight and no contact, if you see anything then give the signal and I’ll be over there. I’ll be searching for our contact so I’ll need you to have your full attention on the guests.”

They scattered without him having to tell them to and he knew that his message would be relayed instantly to the rest of the team. 

“Sorry I’m late!” Kakashi paused before turning at the voice, he didn’t recognize it but for some reason it felt familiar. 

“Hurry and get to the dressing room!” One of the kitchen staffed pulled the young teen inside the building, Kakashi had only seen a mop of brown hair before he disappeared inside and the ANBU had a feeling he had just made his source. It had been the small amount of chakra that Kakashi felt that had given the source away or it could be a person who was nearly chakra dead and Kakashi was just being hopeful. 

Time would soon tell. 

Kakashi stayed in the shadows for a bit, letting the commotion through the building below inform him of where the teen had gone. Kakashi moved so that he was above the dressing rooms, listening to the women nag each other, the teen’s voice getting high when they teased him before they all started rushing as Riko yelled at them from another room. Kakashi thought of the best way to approach his mark before he put his fingers together in a henge. 

He didn’t think Asuma would mind him using his form, after all the newly appointed jonin hadn’t been on many missions away from the village--much to Asuma’s disgruntlement. 

“Hm.” Kakashi had found himself next to Lynx, her long hair moving as she tilted her max to take a good look at him. He knew who was under the mask and knew that she would be laughing in her head at the site of Asuma in a loose yukata, looking very much like hermit that wasn’t very well-to-do. Kakashi had even added some flair by having an eye patch. Maybe Asuma would have made a good pirate in another life. Lynx didn’t say anything though, just gave him a nod and went back to watching the street. 

He hopped down to the alley, hunching a bit as he took on a overtly lazy demeanor and then made his way to the entrance. He was greeted warmly by Riko-chan, who Kakashi had thought would be in the party with the daimyo but she apparently always ran the front no matter who her guests were. She gave him a look, eyes going up and down before pursed her lips in thought. 

“And what are you look for tonight, sir?” She smiled sweetly and Kakashi smiled back, hoping that he could make someone like Asuma look charming for once. 

“Just a drink and nice company, I’m afraid it’s been a long day.” Kakashi pouted a bit at that, Riko-chan laughing at his expression as she agreed before she led him over to the bar which was already half-way full despite the fact that they had just opened. Men and women sitting in various booths with drinks in their hands, waiting patiently for the company to arrive. 

“I’m afraid we had a bit of a delay, today.” Riko-chan directed Kakashi to a booth that was near the bar, he took a seat and smiled up at her. 

“Maybe you could keep me some company instead?” Kakashi gave her a rakish smile, something he could mimic easily as he had seen Asuma do this enough times to women at bars. 

Riko-chan blushed beautifully, despite her age, before she swatted at him. “Your mother must have spoiled you, asking for a such a thing. Just relax and I’m sure you’ll find some better, and less busy, company to have at your side.”

Kakashi let her go with a smile before he sprawled in his booth. He glanced around the room, taking in the Daimyo’s personal guards who were most likely scattered through the brothel and the few merchant who had no idea how many weapons were surrounding them. He wondered if he should have made a request for a man when Riko-chan had been by but shrugged it off. If the mark didn’t show up at the bar he would just go looking for him. 

“Iruka-kun, do you think--”

Kakashi paused at that, dolled up men and women were all walking into the room, some of them going straight to their regulars while others went to the bar to wait until they were called over. He had a moment to appreciate the variety of their outfits, from formal kimono to modern tight dresses, Riko-chan certainly had a buffet of choices. He turned his head to where he heard the voices and saw Riko-chan talking to a teen with long brown hair that fell loosely around his face. His yukata was worn baggy, the front open enough to show off some of his tanned chest, while his sleeves ran a little longer than what was traditional. 

His skin almost seemed golden against the the pale blue of yukata, his hair had clearly been up at some point before it had been tussled down, and the scar across his nose was pink with a blush as Riko-chan said something to him. 

Kakashi blinked. 

He hadn’t thought of Umino Iruka in a very long time. 

He also had no idea that a genin from Konoha would be his mark, let alone his mark at a brothel. Kakashi could see images of Kushina dragging a happy child around the village, could remember the stern faces of Ikkaku and Kohari and how they only softened when their son ran to to them. Kakashi remembered a kid who cried openly, cried while thanking team Minato for the return of his parents, and cried in the graveyard when he had spotted a too young Kakashi in front of Rin’s grave. 

Kakashi had never had anyone cry for him before. It made the kid hard to forget. 

Last he had heard of Iruka, the kid had been causing havoc in the village. From practical jokes to having a bit of a temper that no one was safe from. Kakashi found his eyes traveling up and down the young teen’s body. 

He was on the thin side but Kakashi could see how Iruka would grow into a good looking man. 

If he lived that long. 

He must have stared just long enough to be too long because Riko-chan glanced at him with some surprise before her eyes turned to Iruka. She smiled softly before she pulled Iruka closer to her, whispering something to him that made him go red before he glanced at the bar to where Kakashi was. 

If anything, Iruka went redder. 

Had Iruka known Asuma in the village? Kakashi smiled lightly at the pair of them across the room as he tried to think of any past connections. Would Iruka be able to tell that he was a henge and not the actual Asuma...also, how long had the teen been working here?

Iruka shook his head at whatever Riko-chan had set to him before he laughed and nodded. The teen took a breath as if to steel himself before he made his way over to Kakashi. Riko-chan watching on with amusement. 

“E-excuse me, sir.” Iruka bowed slightly, his hair falling in his face in a very attractive way and Kakashi had a brief moment to wonder who taught him how to do that before Iruka glanced at him shyly. “Would you like some company?”

Asuma was going to be pissed, Kakashi thought, when the older man did eventually make it out this way and learned that he already had a reputation for young men. Kakashi sent a silent word of prayer for his friend as he took another look at Iruka...a reputation for really young men. 

“Company, and something to drink.” Kakashi smiled and the teen nodded before making his way to the bar. The few women that hadn’t gotten a companion yet swarmed the teen with questions and Kakashi didn’t bother to hide his amusement as the teen sputtered at their leers. 

“Lucky you.” Kakashi tilted his head back to see a man with dark hair at the next booth looking at him before smirking towards Iruka. “I believe you’ll be his first companion.”

“Don’t be jealous, Ten-chan.” The woman against his side pouted, getting Ten-chan’s attention, she was all curves in all the right places. “You have me after all.”

“I’m sorry, Kaori, darling.” Ten-chan turned his attention back to the woman at his side and Kakashi watched them for a few seconds before turning his attention away from them. He didn’t like the feeling that the other man gave him but it wasn’t enough of a feeling to make him act on it. 

Not yet anyway.

“I hope you like sake.” Kakashi found Iruka was already sitting next to him, pouring Kakashi a drink before he handed it to him with a shy smile. Kakashi took the glass and sipped it, being pleasantly surprised to find that it was not warm sake but water instead. 

So Iruka had made him. 

Kakashi leaned back, using Asuma’s height and size to his advantage as he sprawled in his booth, giving Iruka no other choice but to lean closer to him. The teen seemed unsure of what to do next, he glanced at the other women in the bar to see what they were doing before he curled closer to Kakashi. 

“Don’t be shy, Iruka-kun.” Kakashi let his hand push some of Iruka’s hair behind his ear before he pulled the teen even closer. 

“Ah.” Iruka bit his lip with a smile. “I see you heard my name, but I’m afraid I don’t know yours.”

“Genya.” Kakashi smiled before he let his hand around Iruka’s waist press the sign for ‘friend’ against the teen. 

“Genya-san.” Iruka smiled, placing his hand on one of Kakashi’s legs, Kakashi’s own yukata was loose but he could still feel Iruka’s heat through the fabric. Iruka seemed to notice something to the side before he leaned forward, letting his lips brush Kakashi’s ear as he whispered in a very nice tone. “Please tell me Asuma doesn’t know about this.”

Kakashi barked out a laugh at that, surprising himself as Iruka glanced away with a blush. The teen clearly playing the part as if he had tried to say something flirtatious only to have his patron laugh at it. Kakashi pulled Iruka back against him, making apologetic murmurs before he grabbed Iruka’s arm, moving the sleeve so that he could rub his fingers against the smooth skin of Iruka’s wrist.

He could make out the callouses on Iruka’s hands and even noticed some scratches and light scarring on the teen’s arm. Kakashi found himself impressed with a young teen who was clearly keeping up his training while also performing a discreet mission. 

“I have many friends back home who would be jealous of me right now.” Kakashi let Iruka go long enough for the teen to pour him another drink before he gripped the back of Iruka’s neck to pull the teen closer, kissing Iruka’s cheek before pressing his lips against his ear. “I believe that you have a recipe for me.”

“I have many things for you.” Iruka purred back before he sat back abruptly. 

One second they were flirting and the next Iruka was basically on the other side of the booth, straightening his yukata, his eyes wide and his face flaming red. Kakashi’s hand was still out where it had been playing with Iruka’s hair but Kakashi let it drop in his lap with a confused face. 

“I’m not sure I can do that, Genya-san.” Iruka’s voice cracked at that before he gave Kakashi a low bow and left the booth. Going straight to Riko-chan who had clearly been watching the whole interaction. 

Kakashi pouted a bit, guessing that Iruka was up to something but clearly the boy knew what he was doing so Kakashi let him take the lead. There was a heated conversation happening with Iruka and Riko-chan, the older woman clearly surprised but whatever Iruka was saying before she lifted the teens face so that he was looking her in the eye. Iruka smiled slightly at her, his face still flushed, and she seemed to sigh before she gave him a nod. 

The woman went back to the front desk to talk to the young lady she had working there while Iruka made his way back over to Kakashi. When Iruka stopped in front of him the teen held his hand out to Kakashi and the ANBU took it, letting himself be pulled up to his feet. Iruka was pulling him away from their booth, and Kakashi grabbed his cup and the the sake mug as he was dragged away. Making sure to trip a bit and smile at the room at large while some of the women made catcalls at Iruka. 

Whatever was happening, he didn’t expect to be pulled into a small room a few halls away from the bar. 

“I need you to kiss me.” Iruka whispered heatedly. “I’m supposed to be offering you services but I think we should cut to the chase. You’re allowed to kiss me, nothing more. If you have to touch me then please keep it above the waist.” 

Kakashi blinked at that. 

The ANBU leaned forward so that he had Iruka against one of the walls. “I think Asuma would appreciate if I kept my hands to myself.” 

Iruka just laughed at that before he grabbed the back of Kakashi’s neck pulled the older teen to him so that their lips were barely touching. “Is there any way that you can drop the disguise before I kiss you?”

Kakashi didn’t respond before he pressed his lips against the teens. The kiss was light and almost chaste, with just the right amount of pressure before Kakashi found himself pulling away. He wanted to ask Iruka how old the teen was and then realized that it didn’t really matter. Kakashi was going to be turning 18 in the fall and he had done far worse things than kiss a stranger on a mission. 

Iruka laughed, seemingly embarrassed by something judging by the color of his face before he pulled Kakashi over to a comfy looking chair that was just big enough for the both of them. “You can also speak freely now, these rooms a truly private but I wouldn’t get too specific regardless. Are you with the Daimyo’s party?”

Kakashi just nodded before he pulled Iruka against him again, enjoying the teens expression as he had to look up at Kakashi. “How long have you been here?”

“Two years.” Iruka whispered, tilted his face up and Kakashi had to fight the urge to kiss him. Iruka seemed to be thinking the same thing before he scrunched his brow at Kakashi’s face. “Could you...lose the…”

Iruka motioned at all of him and Kakashi almost felt sorry for Asuma before he shook his head. He made the sign for ANBU against Iruka’s thigh before he pulled to the teen up so that Iruka was straddling him. Iruka shivered in their new position and Kakashi smirked as he let both of his hands rub against Iruka’s thighs. 

“Above the waist, Genya-san.” Iruka whispered as he moved Kakashi’s hands up so they were on his side. 

“If you insist.” Kakashi muttered, suddenly wanting to touch more of the teen. Kakashi didn’t know if it was because he wasn’t supposed to or if it was some sort of appeal that Iruka had. But Kakashi in the first time he could remember wanted. 

He wasn’t sure what to do with that. 

They continued to whisper to each other, both leaning towards the other while giving each other light touches. Iruka whispered a recipe for cheesecake that sounded a lot dirtier when Kakashi kept making innuendo around it. Iruka looked torn between hitting or kissing him and Kakashi found a chance to help him make the decision when the ANBU captain felt a presence nearing their door. 

Iruka kissed like he had never done it before and Kakashi couldn’t help but deepen it as Iruka gasped against him. Iruka opened his eyes dazedly at Kakashi before scrunching his nose and closing them before he leaned in for another kiss. 

Iruka clearly did not like the idea of kissing Asuma, but Kakashi wasn’t going to not return the kisses that the teen was willing to give him. 

The presence passed and Kakashi finally let Iruka have some more space. The teen’s flush had made it down his neck as he sucked in some air and then licked his bottom lip as if to savor the kisses a little longer. Kakashi had a brief moment of wondering what it would be like to be doing this with Iruka while not on a mission but he shook his head at the thought. He had his information and he needed to get back to his team so that Eagle could decode the instructions from the recipe. 

“Genya-san.” Iruka’s voice was just the right side of breathless, as he pulled Kakashi into a another kiss. “I have to go.”

Kakashi was about to respond but Iruka pushed the older teen on his back and smirked down at him. His hand made quick work of both of them, rubbing against Kakashi’s skin and hair before doing his own. Kakashi held back a gasp as those wicked fingers touched him quickly, making sure they both appeared suitably debauched before Iruka got to his feet and made a poor job of straightening his yukata. 

There would definitely be no question of what went on in this room if Iruka left like that. 

The teen gave him another reminder to pay Riko-chan, most likely wanting to make sure he didn’t get in trouble for giving free services, before he was out the door and Kakashi was alone in the room. The ANBU captain had a few moments to compose himself, willing his erection away and glad that Iruka hadn’t noticed his effect on the other teen. 

There were both on the clock after all.

\---

Anko stared at the white walls that surrounded her, she didn’t know how long she had been confined to these rooms. She could barely remember how long she had been missing in the first place. 

Orochimaru-sensei. 

Anko bit her lip in anger. The feeling of abandonment washing over her before she clenched her fists and forced herself to calm down. 

Her memories were rough, and she could only remember things in pieces before she had woken up in the Konoha hospital with a grim faced Tsunade leaning over her. Apparently Tsunade had returned to Konoha just for her and Anko didn’t know what to say to that. 

When had Tsunade left in the first place? 

They had made sure she was good health before she had been sent to T&I and Anko got to get well acquainted with someone she was considering her new best friends, Morino Ibiki. 

“You’re free to go back home today.” Ibiki spoke softly as he entered her room. “I have your parents waiting for you at the front, we just have to finish these forms and you’re free to go.”

Anko took a deep breath, calming herself before she glanced up at Ibiki. “Am...am I safe?”

He stared at her for a few moments with a blank expression before he sighed and pulled her up to her feet. She gave him a surprised glance before he made sure she was looking him in the eye. 

“You won’t hurt anyone, Anko. That mark on your neck is just another obstacle you have to work through. There might be things missing in your memory but you are still who you’ve always been.”

Anko tried to ignore the lump in her throat at that. 

If a few tears made it out of her eyes at his words, Ibiki was smart enough not to say anything. 

\---

“The pan is heating up.” Riko-chan sighed as he glanced over her staff, it wasn’t often that she called them all together at once but she wanted to make sure that everyone was prepared. “I need everyone to be on high alert for the foreseeable future, there’s something in the air and I want to make sure we stay clear of it.”

Iruka agreed with everyone though he wasn’t sure what Riko-chan was talking about. He waited until everyone was going back to their stations before he grabbed Hana’s arm. “Could you…”

“Oh, that’s right, you weren’t here last time.” Hana paused before she motioned for the other younger staff members to come over to her. Once everyone had settled she gave them all a sad smile. “As you can imagine, Riko-chan as a good understanding of what happens in this city, it’s why we always have to be careful with who we spend any extra time with.”

Iruka nodded as well as the new server, Date-kun. 

“It was about five years ago when Uzutoshi went under siege, a lot of missing-nin and gangsters had decided to use our city as a battleground or whatever reason and Riko-chan had caught wind early enough to get us out before we got pulled in.” Hana ran her hands through her long hair and smiled. “Just listen to Riko-chan and stay alert, I’m sure it won’t be as bad as last time but we’ve had a lot unsavory men visiting recently...so just watch out.”

Iruka nodded, he remembered Gato, a man who was richer than the city and yet somehow also gave off the vibe of a gangster instead of a lord. Iruka hadn’t liked how the man had leered at Kaori and had managed to get her out of the room with little fuss. 

“Iruka-kun!” Iruka paused as Date-kun was suddenly pulling him out of the room. “You’re late to the tea ceremony, you’re supposed to be playing host!”

“Shit!” Iruka quickly fixed his attire, letting the girls tug at him and put his hair up with whatever they had in their hands. He probably looked ridiculous but it was his own fault for running late. 

He would make sure to relay everything Riko-chan said to his team tonight. 

They would be ready. 

\---

Everything happened in threes. 

Asuma stared down at his wet cigarettes, ruined by the ungodly rain that had descended on the village for the past two days. They were almost soggy, and Asuma swore to himself as he threw them in the nearest trash bin. 

He should have kept his umbrella instead of giving it to Kurenai. 

She was the one who was breaking up with him after all. 

Again. 

Asuma rubbed his head, pushing the water out of the dark strands before he paused as he made it to the barracks. A large red sign as at the entrance and he could feel the dread in his stomach as he made over to read it. 

Bad things always come in threes. 

“Finally tearing the place down, eh?” Asuma huffed at the person next to him, turned to glare at Kakashi who was nice and dry under his umbrella. 

“I guess having one of the Akimichi cousins fall through the floor was what finally did it.” Asuma wished he was smoking. 

He didn’t want to move. 

It was such a drag. 

“I’m sure Hiruma would let you stay with him?” Kakashi hummed, clearly trying to be nice to Asuma now that he was sensing the mood. Asuma just shook his head. As much as he loved his brother, he was not going to move in when Hiruma and Namaiki were still acting like newlyweds. 

Asuma paused before he glanced at Kakashi and smirked. 

Kakashi tensed and glared back. 

“No.”

“Don’t be like that Kakashi.” Asuma purred as he leaned into his friend’s space. “It would only be for a short time…”

“Gai is enough, thank you.” Kakashi spoke tersely and Asuma laughed. He couldn’t argue with that. 

Both friends shoved away from each other and Asuma made his way up this apartment. He would probably be able to pack it all in a day or two, the man paused. Kakashi might not like the idea, but Asuma was going to be moving in at the end of the week regardless if the Copy-nin wanted him to or not. 

(It did not go over well.) 

\---

“It’s gotten worse.” Iruka stared at the shogi board in front of him before he finally moved a piece. 

Shikaku hummed as he glanced at Iruka’s move before he turned his attention to the genin. The older man moved his knight before and took his time to really assess Iruka as the teen studied the board again. 

Iruka was tense, it was clear that the skirmishes happening in Uzutoshi were creating stress on both aspects of the teen’s job. He had bags under his eyes and seemed down, despite the fact that Shikaku had brought him letters from all his friends back home, as well as some treats from the Mitarashi dango store. 

So far, 10 bodies had been found around the city and while Konoha hadn’t been contacted to investigate, the jonin with Iruka had made a point to look into while Iruka was with Riko-chan. There had also been cases of people being dragged into the streets and beaten in some neighborhoods and it was only a matter of time before the gang responsible for all of this stepped into the light and tried to take the city by force. 

Shikaku was doing everything he could to make sure that Iruka wasn’t going to be here when it happened. 

“Aoba-kun told me that your training has progressed really well.” Shikaku hummed as Iruka finally made another move before he smirked. “But you’re still really bad at shogi.”

Iruka just smiled before he hummed to himself. He paused a bit before he made his last move and Shikaku ended the game. Iruka just sighed before he stared at the older man. “It’s been 30 months.”

Shikaku nodded, “It’s definitely been longer than Inoichi or I thought it would be.”

Iruka bit his lip at that before sighing. “But you still need me here?”

Shikaku frowned but he closed his eyes and nodded. 

“Just a little while longer, promise.”

\---

Asuma had been living with Kakashi for month when it happened. 

“Kaka--” Asuma grunted, the blade at his neck pressing alight against his skin telling him that he only had a few moment to say his last word. 

The jonin had woken up in the middle of the night and had decided to get something to drink from the kitchen when he had been attacked. Kakashi hadn’t said anything in their skirmish as Asuma had yelled at him. Asuma had been getting the upper hand, almost knocking Kakashi out with a good jab before he had seen Kakashi’s empty eye and then Asuma was on the floor with Kakashi leaning over him, blade in hand.

“Kakashi!” Gai’s voice distracted Kakashi enough for Asuma to finally punch the ANBU and he took a shuddering breath as Kakashi’s limp form, the blade having fallen from his lax fingers. 

“What the hell?” Asuma growled as he rubbed his neck and glared at Gai. “What the fuck?”

Gai’s face was worried as he knelt down by Kakashi, checking to make the silver haired teen had a pulse. The bowl haired teen took a deep breath before he glared at Asuma. “You didn’t have to knock him out, I would have gotten him to wake up.”

“Would he have woken up before or after he slit my throat?” Asuma didn’t hold back his anger as he took in another breath. 

He was alive. 

He was alive. 

He was--

“He hasn’t done this in awhile.” Gai muttered as he lifted Kakashi in his arms. Kakashi looking oddly small in Gai’s hold and Asuma forgot the mantra he had been saying to himself. 

“You mean he’s done this before?” Asuma hissed. “And you haven’t reported him?”

Gai didn’t say anything, just left the room with Kakashi and Asuma found himself getting to his feet and stumbling to the kitchen to get the glass of water he had woken up for in the first place. He barely took a sip before he found himself sitting at the counter with his head in his hands. 

It was easy to expect death on a mission, but in your own home? 

“I’m sorry.” Asuma turned to see Gai walking in the room, Kakashi gone from his arms and Asuma realized that Gai had probably taken the Copy-nin back to his own room. Gai went to the other side of the counter and they both stared at Asuma’s cup of water for a bit. 

“How long?” Asuma was proud that his voice was getting back to normal. 

“It hasn’t happened in six months.” Gai murmured before he sighed. “I thought things were getting better.”

Asuma took a deep breath, briefly wondering if he should light up a cigarette and then remembering that he was trying to quit. He turned his attention to Gai then and he really looked at Gai, could see how tired the green beast was and the older teen found himself wondering how long Gai had been carrying this burden on his own. 

For too long, Asuma’s mind supplied at the Asuma found himself scratching his chin. “What can I do to help?”

Gai blinked at that, as if he had been expecting Asuma to throw the glass at him before anything else before Gai’s face lit up with a bright smile. Asuma knew that whatever he and Gai discussed would end up being either a short solution or a long one and Asuma found himself hoping that they could find a permanent one. 

Kakashi was many things, as far as Asuma was concerned, but he was going to let his friend turn into something broken. 

Not on his watch. 

\---

“You should just write him a letter.” Hayate groaned as Azusa and Anko got in fighting stances. “He would probably like to hear that you returned from your own hand.”

“I’ll tell him in person.” Anko shrugged before she tossed Azusa to the ground. “Oh man, you’re really weak.”

“Thanks.” Azusa groaned before Anko helped him up. “That’s exactly what a guy wants to hear.”

“Hey, if you want some love then go bother the new batch of genin.” Anko laughed, though Hayate noticed how it didn’t reach her eyes...not yet. “If you want to get your butt kicked then I’ll be right here.” 

\---

“Was she really a princess?” Ayame smiled brightly at the green teen. 

“Yes! My eternal rival should be returning from his mission any day now, I’ll be sure to make you come by and tell you the tale of his great deeds!” Gai gave Ayame a thumbs up and the girl squealed at the idea. 

Teuchi laughed as the group of older teens entertained his daughter while he made their ramen. There was a stern looking teen in the back that would smile softly at Ayame causing her to blush and Teuchi made sure to keep an eye on him. 

He would lock his daughter in a tower before he let her have her first crush be Ibiki. 

“Oh, Asuma!” Teuchi called out as he remembered the gossip he heard. “Congratulations are in order, Namaiki is pregnant right?”

“Whaa?” A few of the other teens shouted in surprised while Asuma scratched the back of his head. 

“We were keeping it under wraps Teuchi-san.” Asuma mumbled and the chef laughed as he started placing bowls on the counter. 

“My bad, your bowl will be on the house.” Everyone made pleas for the same treatment and Teuchi ignored them and let the teenagers dig in while Ayame harassed them for more stories. 

It had been a good few weeks in the village and Teuchi was looking forward to cool weather that he knew was going to come soon. The days were going by faster and faster and it wasn’t long before he was staring at the rain outside his empty shop wondering if he should close early. 

A spot of yellow caught Teuchi’s attention and he found himself looking at a young child who was peeking into the shop. The older man lifted his hand to wave and the child scampered off just as quickly as he had appeared. 

He blinked. 

Who was that?

\---

Iruka paused as he opened the last room for the night.

He had been cleaning all the empty rooms before he went home, because Riko-chan was sending staff home earlier and earlier each night. She had been trying to make sure that everyone stayed in groups or had a weapon on them at all times, something Iruka didn’t need help with but he appreciated the dagger that she had give him to tie to his belt. Iruka was normally already on his way home but Riko-chan had needed to stay late and so Iruka had decided to stay late with her since he would be able to walk her most of the way home before he went back to his place. 

She might be a weird old brothel owning woman, but she had been nothing but kind to him over the past couple of years. 

Iruka turned move to start folding up the cushions on the floor before he heard the door snap shut to the room to his room. He turned to see what Riko-chan could want but was suddenly pushed back by a large form. 

“You should let me have you.” Tenyo breath against Iruka’s face before he buried his face into Iruka’s neck. The teen noted the scent of alcohol but when he reached up to push the man off him, suddenly Iruka’s right hand was against the ground and the genin found himself staring into an expression he had never seen on Tenyo before. 

He looked so angry. 

“I want you so badly.” Tenyo hissed as he pulled back to open Iruka’s yukata, pulled it apart to reveal Iruka’s upper body as Iruka continued to stare up at the man above him. 

“You don’t want to do this.” Iruka kept his voice steady and kept his eyes on Tenyo’s expression. 

The problem was that this wasn’t the first time then Tenyo had tried to corner him in the recent months though it was the first time the man had managed to hide himself until the place was basically shut down. Iruka had managed to evade the man easily enough, usually with the help of Kaori who seemed to know that something was off about Tenyo and was doing her best to keep the man distracted herself. 

“Don’t do this.” Iruka tried again. The old man actually laughed at that before he pushed down and suddenly Iruka felt teeth against his lips. 

The teen hissed at the contact and managed to push his face to the side so that Tenyo was biting at his jawline instead and the old man groaned at the denial. Hands were suddenly on Iruka’s legs and the genin knew he had a choice to make right there and found steeling himself as he pulled the dagger out of sheath on his belt. 

“Are you going to poke me with that?” Tenyo laughed at the dagger like it was a butter knife and Iruka found himself smiling up at the older man as if they were sharing a joke. 

With everything that had been going on in Uzutoshi, Iruka couldn’t believe the man was acting like this. People were afraid for their lives and yet Tenyo was trying to take advantage of the situation. Iruka had never felt such a sudden hot rage in his chest. 

“Yes.” Iruka felt the smile drop from his face as he stabbed Tenyo on the side. 

“YOU--FUCK!” Tenyo bowled over and Iruka used the moment to roll out from underneath the larger man, making sure to take the dagger out at the same time as he backed up towards the door. Iruka kept his eyes on Tenyo the whole time as the man shouted profanities as he held his wound. “I’ll kill you!”

“No, you won’t.” Iruka and Tenyo both froze at the sight of Riko-chan as she slid the door open. She took one look at the scene before she grabbed Iruka’s arm and pulled the teen out of the room and started walking away. 

“We need to--” Iruka started and Riko-chan silenced him with a look. 

“I’m getting the cops and they will take care of him if he is still there when they show up.” Riko-chan pulled Iruka out onto the street with her. “We are going to wash your hands and then we’re going home.” 

Iruka didn’t have the energy to argue as he realize how bad his hands were shaking. He choked on his next breath as he fell to his knees in front of the water found in the street and started scrubbing his hands quickly. He heard Riko-chan talking to someone in the distance and he didn’t bother to look up as he found himself cleaning the dagger as well. His yukata was stained and now parts of it were wet from the water but he didn’t mind. 

He had just stabbed a man. 

“I’m glad that you didn’t kill him.” Iruka jumped as Riko-chan’s hands pulled him up so that they were walking again. “I should have put a stop to his attentions much sooner.”

Iruka paused at that before he turned to her. “Why didn’t you?”

She didn’t respond, just kept her grip on Iruka was they made their way up the hill. She slowed as they got close to her street and she turned to Iruka, moving his hair so that it was out of his face as she sighed. “Take tomorrow off, if you need more time then send a messenger but try to be back before the end of the week. I’m going to be closing up before this town explodes and I’ll need your help packing things.”

“Of course.” Iruka replied without thinking before he watched her walk away. He made his way back to his place and it wasn’t until he was opening the door that he realized how bad he was shaking. 

“Iruka?” Iruka glanced up to see Ebisu getting to his feet at the sight of the teen and Iruka just let out a noise before his feet gave out beneath him. 

He had almost killed a man. 

If Iruka had aimed a little higher than he would have. 

“I got you.” Iruka hadn’t even realized he was crying, clinging onto Ebisu like he was the only lifeline Iruka had and as the teen thought about it, right now Ebisu was all he had. 

This town was falling apart. People were going missing and turning up dead every single day and Iruka was stuck playing entertainer at a brothel. Iruka had liked Tenyo, the man had been a constant at the brothel and while Iruka had always avoided any advance he had remember how the man made Kaori smile and Hana blush. 

He had almost killed him. 

Iruka didn’t remember changing out of his clothes or falling asleep, but he woke up briefly in the middle of the night to see that he was tucked into the the futon with several extra blankets over him. He glanced up to see Ebisu wide awake and guarding Iruka with a candle as his only light on the table in the room. 

Neither one of them said anything but Iruka felt more tears fall against his cheek as his eyes shut again. 

He would report in the morning. 

He still had a job to do, after all. 

\---

Kakashi stared at his ninken and felt himself topple over. 

“Boss!” Pakkun was by his face but Kakashi couldn’t move. He had managed to get away from the Iwa assassins but he had used too much of his chakra. Obito’s eyes was a numbing force on the left side of his body, asking for more and more chakra that Kakashi couldn’t give it. 

“I need you to find the rest of my team.” Kakashi couldn’t even hear his own voice but prayed that Pakkun understood. “I need one of you to watch my body until the team gets here. We have to make sure that if I don’t make it that my eye is destroyed.”

“You damn, brat.” Pakkun swore and Kakashi would have been surprised if he had the energy because Pakkun never swore. “It’s been years and you summon us for this?”

Kakashi had nothing to say to that, mainly because he was already fading. He heard Pakkun yelling at the other ninken, or maybe he was still yelling at Kakashi but the Copy-nin didn’t worry about that as he finally lost consciousness. 

Kakashi dreamed. 

He dreamed of brown eyes, they were warm and full of life. They seemed like pools of life and Kakashi found himself lost in their depths before they eyes dimmed. He tried to find the life that had once been in those eyes only to realize the life was gone. 

He had killed it. 

“Ka...ka...shi…”

Kakashi tried to sit up but there was a heavy weight on him that only let his neck move briefly before his chakra depletion and exhaustion came back to him. He fell back just as quickly as he blinked up at the starry sky of the woods above him. 

“I hope you don’t mind, but your ninken refused to leave until you woke.” Kakashi recognized the voice of Crane and found himself turning his head to see the ANBU mask of the kid that was sometimes on his team but most of the time not. 

At least Kakashi knew the weight on top of him was eight ninken. 

“They told me about your last message.” Crane spoke quietly and Kakashi wished he had more energy to move but found it was useless. There was some soft steps, clearly the noise on purpose so that Kakashi could hear the approach as Crane leaned over so that he was staring Kakashi in the eye. 

Kakashi stared at the two sharingan that stared down at him and found himself closing his eye and wishing for his exhaustion to knock him out again. 

For once, his body actually listened to him. 

\---

“We need to get them out of Uzutoshi immediately.” Shikaku spoke over the others in the room, not bothering to wait for formality as he stared at the Hokage. “We need to consider the city lost and bring them back home. 

The Hokage sighed as he sucked on his pipe before he turned to Inoichi who seemed to be on the edge of his seat waiting for a reaction. The two men stared at each other before Hiruzen turned to his advisors and nodded. “Very well, deploy a team of ANBU immediately.” 

“Thank you!” Inoichi stood up and then bowed before he basically ran out of the room. The council started talk over each other about the next matter and the Hokage turned to Shikaku with a frown. 

“By the reports you’ve given me, I worry that we might be too late.” The Hokage spoke softly and Shikaku looked down at his hands with a nod. 

“I’m afraid of that as well.” 

There was some more arguing and Shikaku waited until he was no longer needed before he stood and left the room. He would find Inoichi and figure out which team got sent to pick up Iruka. 

And then they would wait. 

\---

“We’re leaving.” Genma had everything packed into a scroll and was checking the apartment one more time before he glanced at Iruka. “Is there anything that needs to be taken care of before we go?”

“Why so suddenly?” Iruka had barely had time to get dressed in the yukata Riko-chan had asked him to wear today before suddenly Genma had been there, it was still dark outside and Iruka wasn’t sure what was happening. “Did something happen?”

“The fire has taken the south side of the village.” Ebisu appeared in the room suddenly. “I sounded the alarms but we might be too--”

“Fire?” Iruka ran to the window and he could see the orange glow in the distance. “We need need to get to the brothel before--”

“No.” Genma grabbed Iruka’s arm. “The mission is over, this town is done. We have to go and we have to go now.”

Iruka didn’t even realize he was moving until Genma was falling back. The older man seemed to be surprised by Iruka’s punch but it was enough and Iruka used the distraction to jump out of the window, ignoring as the other men called for him. 

He needed to warn Riko-chan and the others, he needed to make sure they were okay. 

They had been so kind to him, despite the fact that this was just a mission and Iruka had been lying to them for the few years...he would apologize to them after he made sure they made it out. Most of the women had been staying at the brothel as Riko-chan had closed it up. She had been trying to decide if they needed to leave the town altogether but hadn’t landed on a decision yet. 

Now it would be too late. 

There was a loud explosion and Iruka suddenly found himself on the ground as flames grew around him. He stared wide-eyed as heat enveloped him. 

Fire. 

Everything was on fire. 

He swore he could hear a creature screaming in the distance as Iruka stared at the street in front of him. Bodies not moving as the flames ate at them and Iruka tried to push himself to his feet, the heat forcing his mind to something he hadn’t thought about in a long time. 

Fire. 

Why was there so much fire?

“Mom...dad…” Iruka forced himself to his feet, tears streaming down his face as he heard cries in the distance, the Kyubi, the Kyubi was attacking and--

“Iruka!” 

Iruka gasped for breath as an ANBU with a Crane mask suddenly appeared in front of him. He was shaking and he couldn’t stop as he felt reality hit him all over again. He wasn’t ten years old, he wasn’t in Konoha. 

His parents couldn’t die twice. 

“I need you to grab my hand.” The ANBU was in Iruka’s space and grabbing the genin’s arm even as Iruka started shaking his head. 

“I need to go to Ri--”

“They burned the brothel down after they finished taking out the police force.” The ANBU’s words were cold and steady and Iruka stared at the mask in horror. “There were no survivors.”

“But--”

“You’re going home, Iruka.” The ANBU pulled on Iruka’s arm again and the genin finally grabbed onto the ANBU’s hand. “Now try to keep up, we have to meet the rest of the team first and then we’ll be able to slow down once we’re out of city limits.”

Iruka was going home. 

He was going home and Riko-chan was--

Iruka didn't let himself finish that thought as he was pulled forward. He pushed chakra to his feet to keep up with the ANBU’s speed but he knew that even with it, the Crane was slowing down for him. 

He was going home. 

Konoha. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER:  
> -Attempted rape, it does not happen.  
> -Underage people (under 18) touching and kissing each other  
> -Violence 
> 
>  
> 
> And that's it for Iruka's long-term mission! He has officially been gone for 3 years, and this chapter was just supposed to help me get him to be slightly older so I could start writing naughty things...it worked but it didn't because this chapter got a mind of it's own and turned into two chapters that I spent way too much time on. 
> 
>    
> Reviews: And I've decided to just start replying to reviews moving forward instead of doing @s at the end of each chapter. Just a heads up for those who might have gotten used to the other way.   
>  
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Drifting Towards the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka is back in Konoha. Kakashi and Tenzo have a weird friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings are a the bottom! Thank you for reading!

\---

Iruka felt heavy. 

His mouth was dry and the air smelt like soap. He kept his eyes closed as he took a deep breath, trying to remember where he was. He remembered Uzutoshi, and Genma...and…

“Fire!” Iruka sat up quickly and winced, collapsing back on the bed as his body screamed at him. 

“Calm down. You’re in the hospital.” Iruka blinked as he realized Inoichi-sensei was sitting next to his bed. The older man grabbed Iruka’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You had a bad case of chakra depletion and you’ve been asleep for a few days.”

“Days?” Iruka whispered in confusion. He heard some snoring and turned his attention to the other side of his bed to Choza sleeping. The man had his back against Iruka’s bed, using it as support as he sat on the floor. 

“Sorry about him, he got back from a mission a yesterday and hadn’t left your side once he learned you were here.” Shikaku was standing at the foot of Iruka’s bed, the genin was sitting up with the help of Inoichi-sensei as he gave the other man a tired smile. Shikaku smirked. “You had us all worried for a bit.”

Iruka had so many questions running through his head. He wanted to ask them about the ANBU that had known his name, he wanted to ask about what had happened to the city and who had been behind it. He wanted--

“He’s the one that disobeyed orders.” There was a grumble from the other side of the room and Iruka realized he was in a shared room with Genma pouting on the other side. Genma’s arms were covered in bandages and Iruka could see lotion for burns on the side of his bed. Choza snorted awake at that before smiling at the sight of Iruka. 

“Iruka-kun was just--” Inoichi-sensei started but Iruka cut him off. 

“He’s right, I disobeyed a direct command.” Iruka clenched his fists in the blanket on this lap. He bit at his lip before he bowed his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Iruka, you don’t need to--” Shikaku sighed, Choza seemed confused, but Iruka cut them both off before they could say anything. 

“Riko-chan, Hana, the others...they’re all dead.” Iruka spoke quietly before he shook his head and turned so that he was looking at Genma. “There was nothing I could do for them and me disobeying you just put the others at risk. Not to mention the fact that I couldn’t even make the trip here without passing out…”

“Now wait--” Genma looked startled but Iruka continued. 

“I’m sorry. I accept full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment--” 

“Iruka!” Genma yelled causing the adults to glare at him as tears started falling down Iruka’s cheeks. The light haired brunette growled at the crying genin. “You need to take a deep breath and stop. We’ll go over all of this at the right time but I need you to take a deep breath and just stop.”

Iruka took a gasping breath as he tried to wipe his tears away. He could hear Genma mumbling something before the jonin started talking again, this time much softer. 

“Iruka, you’re home.”

The genin looked up at that with wide eyes before he turned to Inoichi-sensei, Shikaku, and Choza. All three seemed startled by the attention and then they nodded at Iruka. The young teen turned back to Genma looking lost, not sure what to do. 

“I’m in...Konoha?”

Inoichi just laughed before he put his hand on Iruka’s shoulder. “Welcome home, Iruka-kun.” 

Iruka didn’t bother to fight back the tears this time. 

His whole body hurt, but he he was home. He had lost so many people over the past few days, but he was finally back in Konoha where he could meet up with his friends. He had learned so much over the past three years and he would never regret taking that mission but he had been so lonely. He was finally going to be table to take missions with Hayate and Azusa again, he was going to be able to sleep in his own bed, to be able to train with other ninja every day. 

He was going to be able to wear pants again.

He could wear pants everyday. 

“Oh yeah…” Inoichi coughed a bit to the side as he scratched his nose. “We’re going to need to figure out where you’ll be staying once you get released…”

Iruka furrowed his brow at that. “What happened to my apartment in the barracks?”

“Well...they tore them down for new apartments.” Inoichi laughed at Iruka’s expression. “Don’t worry! The team put all your stuff in storage, or I should say in Hiruma’s spare room, and if you need a place to stay then--”

“Inoichi-san.” Genma grumbled from his side of the room. “Could you please let him digest one thing at a time, you don’t need to throw everything at him right now.”

Inoichi started laughing at that and Iruka let himself fall back in his pillows. 

He was back in Konoha. 

He was home. 

\---

“You need to go.”

“Kakashi--” Gai tried again. 

Kakashi clenched his fists as he stared at the two men that were in his house. Asuma was frowning at him but the taller man just tsk’d and then left the room. Gai stayed though as he stared at Kakashi pleadingly. 

Kakashi didn’t know why Gai wanted to stay here, why his eternal rival was so determined to force himself into Kakashi’s life. Kakashi’s business. But to ask the teen to leave ANBU, to get Asuma in on the conversation too as if Kakashi cared one bit what either of them thought. 

No. 

“I want you out by the end of the day.” Kakashi stood, his ANBU uniform clinging to him tightly. It felt heavier that Kakashi remembered. This is why he should have never let Gai in here in the first place. 

“Kakashi…” Gai tried again, worry on his face. “My friend, I just want you to hear what I’m trying to say. What your friends are trying to say--”

“I hear you.” Kakashi spoke softly, cursing Gai in his mind as he glared at his rival. “I’m choosing not to respond to your demands. I am also choosing to end this living situation, you and Asuma need to leave.”

“But Kakashi--” 

“Move on Gai, I’m not leaving ANBU and if you can’t live with that then I need you to move on.” Kakashi found himself shaking his head. “I won’t change who I am.”

“You’re more than--” 

“Gai.” Asuma cut Gai off this time as he made his way into the living room. He had two bags in his arms as he glared at both of them. “Drop it.”

Gai clearly didn’t want to drop it but he went silent. Kakashi just nodded at the both of them before he turned to leave. He had just returned from a mission and didn’t have anywhere else to go at the moment but he wasn’t going to stay in that house while both of them packed up their things. 

He has already turning before he realized where he was heading. The memorial stone standing stark against the green of the summer. 

Kakashi landed silently before he made his way over. 

“Obito…” Kakashi started before he shut his eyes. 

It was better this way. Gai and Asuma were getting too close, they were getting too comfortable. Kakashi didn’t need that, didn’t any of it. 

The teen stood there for a while, wondering when he had gotten so good at lying to himself. 

\---

“You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?” Iruka entered the Hokage’s office quietly. 

He had spent a few more days in the hospital before finally being released this morning. He had been in the middle of signing out at the desk when Raido, who was now acting as the Sandaime’s assistant for the time being had grabbed Iruka because their leader had asked for him. 

“Iruka-kun!” The hokage smiled brightly at the teen, before blinking. “You’ve grown! Are you taller than me now?”

“Haha.” Iruka rubbed the bridge of his nose at that before walking over to the seat that the Hokage waved at. There was a fresh pot of tea waiting for them and Iruka didn’t hesitated before he folded to his knees, sitting up upright as he prepared to play host before he paused and felt his cheeks heat up. 

“Some habits will be heard to break.” The Hokage chuckled before he motioned for Iruka to continue. Iruka rubbed his hands on the black pants that Hayate had brought for him before smiling and pouring the tea. He made sure to serve the old man first before he poured himself a cup and then got up so that he could sit in one of the chairs. 

“It’s for the best that you poured this, I have been told repeatedly that I always burn the leaves.” The Hokage sighed and Iruka smirked. 

“I wanted to thank you for everything that you’ve done over the past three years.” Sandaime sipped his tea a bit as Iruka waited for him to continue. “I feel like it was an impossible thing to ask of you, and yet, even as a genin you still out performed the many that had tried before you. Thank you for your service, and I look forward to seeing what you do moving forward.”

Iruka flushed slightly at the praise before he sat up a little straighter. “Actually, Hokage-sama, I heard that we were going to be hosting the chunin exams in a few months and I was wondering if --”

“Ah yes.” Sandaime nodded before he put his tea down. “I’m afraid that you won’t be able to participate in the next exams.”

“Why?” Iruka didn’t want to sound like a child but he had been hoping to catch up to his friends. 

“I’m afraid that you don’t qualify yet, and we’ve already selected our candidates.” The Hokage sighed. “I went over your information myself when we realized we would bringing you back in time for the exams but sadly you haven’t completed enough missions.”

“What? But I was just on a--” 

“Very long mission, but I’m afraid it only counts as one.” The Hokage interrupted him before sighing. “I hope you take you time over the next few months to settle back into the village. You were gone for quite some time and I know a lot of people have been waiting to see your face.”

They continued their conversation for a bit. The Hokage asking if he could set up continuing meetings with Iruka, just for tea, and Iruka pouting about the fact that he had only served one mission for so long. Raido eventually came to interrupt and Iruka saw himself out with a smile. 

He had missed the old man. 

Iruka had only taken a few steps out of the tower before he saw a familiar figure waiting. He had gotten taller, somehow he had lost some of the softness of his appearance and yet his eyes still seemed kind as he smiled at Iruka and waved him over. 

“Shisui.” Iruka felt himself blush as they made eye contact. 

Had Shisui always been so--Iruka shook his head mentally. Now was not the time to think about those things. 

“I went to visit you in the hospital but they told me that you had been called over here.” Shisui but his hands in his pockets and Iruka had to fight the urge to touch the other teen’s arms. His clothes were casual, a sleeveless shirt and traditional uniform pants that were wrapped at the bottom. 

Iruka paused as he saw the spiral tattoo on his friend’s arm before he looked up at Shisui again in surprise. 

“You’ve grown.” Shisui had a shy smile on his face and Iruka felt really warm all the sudden. “It’s been a long time.”

“But…” Iruka paused before he reached out and grabbed Shisui’s hand, thinking of the Crane ANBU who had saved him from the fire. “It hasn’t been that long.”

Shisui’s face went a little redder at that, glancing away but not letting go of Iruka’s hand. “No, not that long.”

Iruka smiled brightly at that before he started to pull his friend towards the market. He was starving and he was hoping that Shisui wouldn’t mind joining him for a quick meal. He would have to go find Hiruma after that, find his stuff and figure out where he was going to live, but first he was going to catch up with his friend. 

And if he stared a little too long at Shisui while they ate lunch, neither teen said anything. 

\---

Kinoe paused as he walked down the quiet hall. 

“Tenzo!” The teen paused, that’s right, he was Tenzo now. He started to walk in the direction of Kakashi voice and found the older teen in the backyard. 

“Yes, senpai?”

“You only have to do senpai when we’re at work.” Kakashi sighed before he motioned for the kid to join him in the yard. He knew that he probably looked crazy, covered in dirt while only wearing his face mask and shorts but the older teen didn’t really care. “Is there a mission?”

Tenzo shook his head, his bare feet touching the ground outside as he looked at Kakashi’s yard. “You asked me to come over after I finished moving into my new apartment. You’re right, an apartment was a better idea than the barracks.”

Kakashi nodded, Tenzo would need to same space that Kakashi did. The same privacy. The barracks would never work for people like them. 

“I wanted to ask you to help me build a fence around the estate.” Kakashi motioned to his property lines. “I want to get more privacy, so I was thinking of something about ten feet tall, to surround everything. Maybe even an actual gate at the entryway.”

“Sounds like you want more privacy?” Tenzo asked softly, not sure what he would do if Kakashi wanted him gone. Without the Foundation, Tenzo suddenly found himself without anything when he had left Danzo. 

When he had betrayed the man who had basically raised him. 

“They’re about to start building some more homes over here.” Kakashi explained with a shrug. “I like my privacy.” 

Tenzo just nodded as he made his way over the property edge where there was a small wooden fence. He would do whatever Kakashi asked. Tenzo would build a million walls for Kakashi, he would put his only friend in a box away from the world if Kakashi asked him. 

Tenzo would fight, he would protect, he would learn to live.

Because Kakashi had given him this chance. 

\---

Hiruma smiled at the teen in front of him. “For the last time, Iruka-kun, we want you to stay. Just finish unpacking and make this space yours.” 

“I really don’t want to impose.” Iruka tried again. 

“Just knock him out and seal him in the room. He’ll figure it out eventually.” Namaiki laughed from the couch, her stomach round with her late pregnancy. Hiruma smiled softly at her before turning to Iruka again. 

“She has a point--”

“Fine!” Iruka threw his arms up in defeat. “But while I plan to help with the chores I’m not taking care of you guys. You’re both adults and jonin and you didn’t just get a genin slave in this arrangement. I also plan to pay rent.”

Hiruma and Namaiki both blinked at him before laughing. Iruka going red in the face as they waved him off. He heard Namaiki whispering ‘genin slave’ and Hiruma going into more fits at that. Iruka just huffed, having said his peace before he made it back to his room. 

“Oh!” Hiruma called Iruka back in the room. “Asuma is coming by for dinner, so make sure you hide any of your porn!”

“I don’t have porn!” Iruka shouted back before he remembered the last time he had seen Asuma. 

Or the person who was wearing Asuma’s face. Iruka felt his whole body go hot and he ran back to his room to hide for a bit. He would need to find an excuse to miss dinner because Iruka knew he wasn’t going to be able to hide these reactions from the older shinobi. 

Why had that ANBU impersonated Asuma of all people? 

The ANBU hadn’t been the only person that Iruka had kissed in the past three years but he had definitely been the one that stood out. Iruka wondered if it was because he didn’t know their real identity. He wondered briefly if they were still around, and found himself hoping that they were still alive. 

He knew it wasn’t Shisui, Iruka had asked and while Shisui hadn’t be able to answer him point blank as ANBU missions were not meant to be discussed, Iruka could tell that they other teen had no idea what Iruka was talking about. 

In fact, Shisui had seemed jealous when Iruka had brought it up. 

Iruka found himself blushing at that as he made his way to the bed and sat on it. Iruka had only been back for a few weeks and he realized that he had seen Shisui more than anyone else, even his own team. They kept running into each other at the market and at first Iruka had been surprised but the teen found himself enjoying how Shisui tried to play it all off as coincidence. 

The ANBU was definitely going out of his way to find Iruka when he wasn’t on missions. 

What did that mean? Iruka bit his lip as he turned so that he was staring at his ceiling. He wondered if Shisui was going to ask him out or if Iruka would need to make the first move. The teen blushed even harder at that. 

Back home and already trying to figure out if was about to have a boyfriend or not? Iruka shook his head, he had other things to focus on. 

Like unpacking. 

He turned to the the stack of boxes in his room and took a deep breath before he went over to them. He would need to find his old training journal and get back to work, there were still many things he wanted to see if he could do. 

His mom’s genjutsu was on top of the list. 

\---

“You seem...happy.” 

Shisui hummed under his breath as he turned his attention to Itachi who was watching him with interest. The young Uchiha’s headband gleamed in the sun and Shisui smiled at his friend, proud that Itachi had become a genin at such a young age. “I am happy.”

“Have things gotten better?” Itachi asked quietly. 

The were both in the Uchiha private training grounds and Shisui had been showing his younger friend proper weapon care. Itachi always seemed to be years ahead of everyone else, even Shisui, but the older Uchiha didn’t mind. Itachi’s thoughtfulness is what drew Shisui to the younger clansmen in the first place. 

Things hadn’t gotten better in the clan. Shisui frowned as he thought of Fugaku and Shisui’s own father. 

Shisui didn’t know if things were ever going to get better when it came to the Uchiha name. 

“I was thinking of my friend.” Shisui blushed lightly as he thought of Iruka’s smile the last time they had bumped into each other. 

“The one that was gone for a while but is back?” Itachi asked and Shisui nodded. Itachi hummed at that before smiling lightly. “I’m glad he’s back, you seem happier.”

Shisui blushed at that before shoving Itachi away from him playfully. “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand.”

Itachi just rolled his eyes at the older teen before he started cleaning his set of shuriken. They both paused when they saw a group of children run by, one of them pausing before smiling brightly and waving over at both of them. Shisui smirked as he saw Itachi give a rare smile and smile back at the boy. 

“You’re a doting older brother.” Shisui teased and Itachi just glanced back to him, totally unapologetic. 

“If you had a younger brother, then you might understand.” Itachi was as the kids took off running again, clearly continuing their game. 

“I had a brother as cute as Sasuke, then you might be right.” Shisui laughed before he sighed. He would have a few years to fix this and maybe, if he was lucky, the children like Sasuke wouldn’t be pulled into this mess that was brewing. 

He would need to act quick, but he hoped he could do it. 

Shisui glanced up at the sun to try and measure the time before he smirked. Iruka should be returning from his morning training around now. 

“Go say hi to your boyfriend.” Itachi sighed. “You’re useless when you’re distracted.”

Shisui pouted a bit at that before he got to work on sharpening his sword. He could wait to see Iruka in the afternoon, he didn’t need to bother the other teen yet, now when he was getting back into the swing of things in the village. 

He also wanted to finish showing Itachi proper blade care. He would figure out what Iruka was doing later, it never took him long to find the teen. 

\---

“He’s so small.”

Asuma stared at the tiny baby in his hands and found he couldn’t look away. He was just so small. 

“If he was any bigger then I would have had to make your brother carry him.” Namaiki laughed tiredly as she laid back in her hospital bed. 

“I’m a father!” Hiruma laughed, tears rolling down his cheeks as he yelled from the window in the hospital room. 

“I’m a grandfather!” The Hokage yelled back from outside, the old man was meeting with a few of his advisors out front and Asuma had to roll his eyes at that. The old man never stopped working, not even for the birth of his grandson. 

“He’s going to be a terror.” Asuma laughed before he handed him back carefully to Namaiki. “What’s his name?” 

Hiruma and Namaiki smiled brightly at Asuma before saying at the same time. “Konohamaru!”

Asuma thought it was a stupid name.

But he had a stupid brother, so he figured it fit. 

\---

“Come back!” Teuchi shouted as the blonde blur disappeared again. “I’ll make you all you can eat for free, just come back!”

The old man took a few breaths but the kid didn’t return and he sighed. He turned to the side to see his daughter frowning as she stared at the entrance before she pushed up her sleeves and ran out the door. 

“Ayame, wait!” But she was already gone. 

Teuchi sighed. 

There was a small commotion outside and Teuchi heard his daughter yelling at someone before suddenly she was dragging the blond kid into the Ichiraku. Teuchi blinked as she smiled up at him with a flush, the small blond looking terrified as she forced him into a seat. 

“I...uh…” The blonde looked down, making sure not the make any eye contact with Teuchi. “I have no money.”

“That’s fine!” Teuchi laughed, trying to ignore how the kid flinched at the sound before he started working on a bowl of ramen. “I said I would make it for free, don’t worry about it.” 

The kid’s large blue eyes lit up at that, a giant smile breaking out on his face. Ayame nodded, before she held out her hand. “I’m Ayame, and the old man is my pops.”

“I’m...Naruto.” Naruto blinked at her before he shook her hand. 

Teuchi paused slightly as the name finally registered to him. He shook his head and smiled brightly as he finished the bowl and placed it in front of the adorable kid. Naruto’s eyes were huge as he stared at it before looking at both of them again. 

“Eat it!” Ayame laughed, handing him chopsticks. “We want to know what you think!” 

Teuchi smiled at his daughter, before he nodded at Naruto who started eating with fervor. 

The old man didn’t know this at the time, but he had just found his number one customer. 

\---

“I can’t believe that I’m the only genin.” Iruka groaned into the table. 

Izumo and Kotestu had just retuned from the chunin exams, both carrying their new vests with pride. Now the group, with Mizuki, Hayate, and Azusa were sitting at the Korean BBQ place and Iruka realized he was the lowest ranked teen at the table. 

All chunin. 

All of them. 

“Don’t looks so sad, Iruka.” Mizuki laughed. “You’re the one that got to play woman for a few years. I’m sure you have all sorts of experience from that.”

Iruka frowned as his friend, not liking the way that Mizuki had started speaking to him since he returned but before he could say anything, Azusa broke in. “Don’t be an ass, you’re just jealous that Iruka got to work such a deep cover mission while he was a genin. You’re still just escorting old people from village to village.”

Mizuki glared at Azusa but before anything could start anything, a young girl with purple hair appeared at the window to their table. 

“Yugao!” Iruka smiled. “I haven’t seen you at all!”

She turned, blinking at Iruka before her eyes lit up in recognition. “Iruka!”

“Yes, yes, he’s back!” Mizuki waved off their conversation. “Just tell Hayate what you want and go away. We’re celebrating the fact that team Tsume all made chunin.”

Izumo and Kotetsu turned at that, both cheering each other before the started laughing. Mizuki just rolled his eyes at his teammates and Yugao glared at the silver haired teen before turning to Hayate. 

“I have a mission.” 

“Oh.” Hayate sat up with a blush before he gave the table a small smile. “I’ll be right back guys!”

Azusa wolf whistled as Hayate ran off and Iruka gave the table a confused glance. Mizuki sat up with a sudden realization before he gave Iruka a small smile. “I forgot, you used to have a crush on him right?”

“What?” Azusa made a gross noise at that, some meat still in his mouth. 

Iruka flushed. “I had a boyhood crush on Hayate, yes, when we were first at the academy. Why are you bringing that up?”

“Hayate and Yugao are a thing.” Izumo lifted his pink to emphasise the point. “They even have a super sweet good luck thing they do when one leaves on a mission, it’s gross.”

Iruka smiled at that, glad that Hayate had found someone. 

It wasn’t long before the dinner was over, Hayate returning to catcalls from whole table before they spent the rest of the meal making fun of everything Izumo and Kotetsu had screwed up over the past few years. Iruka didn’t have as many stories but he didn’t mind, just enjoyed getting to spend time with his friends before he made his way back to the apartment. 

He would have to be quiet, Namaiki and Konohamaru were most likely asleep at this time and Iruka did not want to be the one to wake them up. 

The genin paused as he noticded a figure leaning on the door to Hiruma’s place. He frowned but made his way over until he recognized the figure as Asuma...and the smell as a very drunk Asuma. 

Iruka made a promise to himself to never drink like this. 

“Why are you here?” Iruka huffed as he unlocked the door and opened it so that Asuma would fall into the entryway. 

“Can’t fin-m-keys.” Asuma groaned into the ground before he smiled at Iruka’s frown. “Hel’o.”

“You’re not even old enough to drink.” Iruka put his stuff down against the wall before he eyed the distance from the door to the couch. He waited a moment and realized that Hiruma, Namaiki and Konohamaru weren’t even in the apartment and counted it as a lucky night. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about the noise that Asuma made as he dragged the sad bastard to the couch.

Iruka grabbed the larger teen’s arm and dragged him far enough in that he could finally close the door. 

He could just leave Asuma here at the door, knowing that Hiruma would be able to make fun of Asuma for a while because of this but then he shook his head. Asuma had been on a lot of missions recently and Iruka knew the older teen probably just partied too hard to relieve the tension. 

He grabbed Asuma’s arm again and tried to help the larger teen up so that he wouldn’t have to drag him, only to have Asuma smile at him and then lean all his weight on Iruka causing them both to fall over. 

“Ouch.” Iruka grabbed his head but then suddenly Asuma was pulling his hair tie, making Iruka’s hair spread on the ground as the older teen squinted at him. “Asuma...what are you--”

“You have a soft face.” And before Iruka could say something to that, Asuma was pressing his mouth against Iruka’s. The genin growled at that, rolling Asuma over so that the older man was on his back before elbowing Asuma hard in the stomach. 

“What the fuck, you bastard!” Iruka crawled off the drunk, letting Asuma curl into himself before he wiped his hands of the drunk. 

There was a thump and then Iruka heard a snore. He paused before turned and sure enough, Asuma was sleeping on the floor, like an idiot. The younger teen bit his lip for a second before he smiled, he ran to his room to grab a permanent marker and made it back with a small cackle. 

It would be a few hours later that Iruka would wake up to Hiruma and Namaiki’s laughter as they found Asuma sleeping with the word ‘pervert’ scrawled on his forehead. 

Admittedly, Iruka slept pretty well after that. 

\---

It had just been a joke. 

Kakashi pressed his forehead against the wall as he bit his lip. 

He had been avoiding Gai since he had kicked his rival out of the Hatake estate. Granted, Gai had acted like nothing had happened and was making great effort to return to their usual rival antics but Kakashi just hadn’t been in the mood. He had found himself walking into the bookstore without much thought except that he needed to hide when he had heard Gai’s voice. Kakashi hadn’t even payed attention to what he was grabbing before he found himself facing a rather filthy storyline. 

Kakashi wasn’t even sure what had happened to Gai after that as he paid for the book and had flipped to page one as he made his way back home. 

He had heard some whispers but Kakashi didn’t care as he felt his face slightly heat up as he made it to the first passionate scene between the heroine and her lover. The book was filthy and yet Kakashi found himself feeling a pull in his gut as he read about each gasp. Each word murmured. 

Every singly thrust. 

He had made it home in no time, making his way to the bathroom before he shut the door and freed his cock from his hants as it started filling in the privacy of his home. 

He wanted. 

He hadn’t wanted this since -- Kakashi shook his head as he tried to erase the thought of a teen that had been much too young for this sort of fantasy. Instead he reached down and started to move work his hand against his cock until it was at full hardness. 

Barely a few moments and he already felt like he was going to explode. 

Kakashi wasn’t a prude, he had experience pleasure as he had grown up. It had been the one thing he had gone out of his way to do as he got older, trying to find some connections with his peers as they experienced their own first times. It might have seemed a little odd, that he had to go out of his way for these moments but Kakashi had been an adult a longer than his friends had been. 

It had just taken his body a while to catch up. 

“Damn it.” Kakashi grunted as he felt his release coming. He was almost there, he hadn’t realized how long it had been since he had been this hard. Kakashi thought of the first girl he had been with, her long blond hair and bright purple eyes had been exactly what Kakashi had wanted as he tried not to think about how he had robbed Obito and Rin of these experiences. 

He had been quick and inexperienced under her hands but she hadn’t minded that he wouldn’t remove his mask. 

His hand moved faster but his release wouldn’t come. 

Kakashi closed his eyes as he tried to think of the first man he had been with. How talented his mouth had been before he showed Kakashi the importance of proper preparation before letting Kakashi slide into him. 

It wasn’t working. 

Kakashi had enjoyed those times and the times after but they had felt like missions to him. Something to make sure he knew what his friends were talking about before they then turned into something that helped his blood slow down after a mission. 

He thought of the heroine in the filthy book that was now on the ground and Kakashi closed his eyes. He thought of pouty lips and a crude scar across a young face. He thought of long brown hair and eyes that had a sense of humor despite the place they had been in. 

Kakashi bit his lip hard as he came over his hands. 

The Copy-nin groaned as he started to peel his clothes off. He reached over for the shower and turned it on quickly as he tried not to think of the face that had finally send him over the edge. He didn’t need to go down that road, for all he knew the kid had died on that mission. 

He would go to the bars tonight and find someone willing. Maybe if he was lucky he would find someone who wouldn’t even have to leave the bar and would enjoy a tryst in the bathroom stalls, Kakashi tended to enjoy it more if he didn’t have to worry about what do afterwards. 

He would do that tonight. 

But first he was going to finish his shower, and then he was going to finish that book. 

\---

Iruka took a deep breath as he stood outside on the street. 

He had been back for months and he still hadn’t seen her. He wasn’t sure why it had taken him so long to get to her but Iruka really thought about it, it was probably because he was scared. 

Anko. 

Anko had been the one person to never write him while he had been gone. He had written her once and then she had disappeared, and when she had come back he hadn’t been able to find the right words to send her. 

“Iruka-kun?” Iruka blinked before smiling sheepishly as Anko’s mom spotted him. She ran over and pulled him into a hug and Iruka laughed before he realized she was crying. “I was so worried about you, you know. First you were gone and then my Anko, you poor kids and this crazy--”

“Mom!” Anko’s voice stopped the moment and Iruka was suddenly released, he came face to face with Anko before she blinked at him. “Iruka?”

“Ah, hey…” Iruka rubbed the back of his head. 

Anko seemed to stare at him for a moment before she grabbed Iruka’s arm and pulled into towards the dango shop. “Mom, get us some dango. We’re going to catch up.”

“Of course.” Anko’s mom laughed, she was already running to the kitchen. 

They both sat at the table silently for a moment before Iruka really got a chance to look at his friend. She seemed the same, in appearance, clearly older but there was something cold about her eyes that hadn’t been there before. 

She had changed. 

Iruka couldn’t help it, his lip started quivering as he realized how much he had missed. How many times he hadn’t been there for her. There were parts of her life that he would probably never know about. Had she been lonely, scared? Had she been hurt and no one had been there to back her up? 

Iruka really shouldn’t have been surprised by the tears. 

“Why are you crying?” Anko yelled, her cheeks going pink as Iruka tried to wipe the tears but they just started coming faster. 

“I missed you!” Iruka sobbed into his arm before he reached out and grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry I was gone, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, I’m sorry--”

“Don’t do that!” Iruka glanced up to see Anko was crying too as she clutched his hand in hers. “I’m sorry! I never wrote, and I heard some of the things that happened and you were all by yourself and--”

“But you were on your own...and...and you went missing!” Iruka tried to wipe his eyes but he didn’t want to stop looking at Anko, to see that she was really in front of him. “I have no idea what you went through--”

“You’re the one who was on a dangerous mission.” Anko tried again before she took in a shaky breath. “And I was so scared to write you when I got back, what if you didn’t want to be my friend anymore? I didn’t know what they told you--”

“What is happening?” Anko’s mom stared at the crying teens as she set the dango down. “What is the matter with the both of you?”

Iruka just laughed at that, Anko laughing too as Anko’s mom started wiping both of their faces with her apron. She hadn’t done this to them since they had made genin and it almost made Iruka cry harder. Iruka and Anko both took deep breaths, calming down though their grips on each other’s hands didn’t lighten. Anko’s mom tutted some more before she made her way over to help new customers and Iruka let out breath before he smiled at Anko. 

“I really did miss you.” Iruka laughed and Anko held his hand tighter. 

“You should stay over this week, before I get back on rotation.” Anko smiled softly. “We’ll tell each other everything and then I can shove it in your face that I’m a jonin while you’re still a genin.”

Iruka just nodded at that. 

It sounded like a great plan. 

They took a few moments as they ate their dango, Anko’s mom checking in on them every now and then to make sure they weren’t crying again before she went back to the kitchens. Iruka never let go of Anko’s hand. 

“Anko!” Both Iruka and Anko turned to see Kurenai running over to them. “Are you still coming to the meeting? Want to walk together?”

“Oh yeah.” Anko smirked as she rubbed her nose before she grinned at Iruka. “Iruka is going to join us too.”

“Join you?” Iruka asked. 

“But it’s a--” Kurenai started before she paused and smiled. “Actually, that is a great idea. He did get trained by the best, I hear.”

“Trained?” Iruka repeated though he realized no one was paying attention to him as Anko dragged him from his seat and they made their way through the village. It was only a matter of time before the made it to the third training ground and Iruka paused as the group of about 20 women. 

“There is a new style of kimono coming out, so we’re going over where to hide weapons as well as what techniques work best with this new design.” Anko explained and Iruka blinked at them before his face when red. 

“Now wait a minute--” Iruka started but suddenly Yugao was in front of him. She smiled brightly and dragged him further into the group. All the kunoichi waved at Iruka as he made his way up to the front of the group. He just sighed as he got put in front of Suzume, the kunoichi teacher from the Academy. 

She eyed him for a moment before she smiled. “Iruka-kun! It’s been a while.”

“Yeah…” Iruka sighed before he noticed the kimono that she was wearing and smiled. “You look great in that.”

“Thank you.” She gave him a grin before she started to explain the different cut of fabric to the women who showed up. 

Iruka hummed as he watched her explain the pros and cons of the new design. There were less places to hide weapons but the fabric gave her more room to move and was more forgiving when it came to quick movements. When talking to the other women there he found out that the group only met every few months, mainly to keep themselves updated on civilian fashion trends outside the village as well as to have a nice support group among the kunoichi. 

“This is my will of fire.” Suzume has smiled at Iruka before she stared at the group. “To be able to build a community like this...to help us stay connected, no matter what happens.”

Iruka smiled brightly at that. It was a great goal to have and it seemed like Suzume was doing a good job in making it happen. 

“Oi! Iruka!” Iruka turned to see Mizuki and several other guys were watching the ladies from the trees. “Showing them your seduction techniques?”

Iruka just frowned at the other teen before he turned to Anko who was actually looking at him with curiosity. Iruka just shrugged before he had an idea. He went over to Suzume-sensei to get her permission and then waved the guys over. 

He smiled with spotted a familiar bored expression. “Hayate, come up here!”

His friend coughed a bit before doing as he was told. Iruka smiled before he made a few seals to henge into a kimono similar to the one that Suzume-sensei was wearing. The girls whistled and so did the guys and Iruka waved them off as he put his hair down and motioned for Hayate to sit on the ground. 

Iruka folded to his knees seamlessly and stretched out his arm to that everyone could see that the sleeve ended before his wrist when it was stretched out. 

“Since I’ve heard a lot of opinions on what I did or didn’t learn on my previous mission, I would like to show you guys the art of wrist flirting.” Iruka smiled softly as he tucked his arm into the sleeve before he smirked at Hayate. 

His friend looked nervous. 

Iruka had never had so much fun in his life, he was sure. By the time he was done showing how by showing less skin, he could make himself more desirable, most of the guys were blushing furiously, even Mizuki. Anko look like she couldn’t decide between tackling him or eating him and Iruka decided to end the lesson at that. 

If he spotted Shisui watching with a flush in the trees, Iruka didn’t say anything but he knew he couldn’t hide his own blush. 

He needed to see when they could get together again. 

\---

“I would like to meet your friend.” 

Yugao took off her mask as she turned to look at Tenzo, the other ANBU was a little weird but he didn’t bother her. She knew that some of the older guard found the kid off-putting but anyone Kakashi-senpai brought in was someone she would trust. 

“My friend?” Yugao asked, to clarification. 

“Hayate, the boy you talk about.” Tenzo shrugged slightly, looking to the side which Yugao had learned to mean that he was embarrassed about whatever he was about to say. “I would like to see your interactions, I’ve been told I need to learn how to make friends.” 

Yugao blinked at that before she smiled. 

She knew that Tenzo had come from the Foundation, and also knew that the fact he was able to leave the Foundation while still breathing meant that Tenzo was something of an oddity. She actually like that his personality matched how weird he was. She just shrugged her shoulder before she nodded. “Sure, I think he is with his team but the more the merrier.” 

Tenzo blinked at that before he gave her a small smile. “If you say so.”

They had only done drills that morning so Yugao was glad that she didn’t feel any strain as she jumped across the roofs. Tenzo was quiet beside her and she wondered if the other teen would like Hayate. 

Then again, she wasn’t sure of Tenzo liked anyone. He only talked to Kakashi-senpai and Yugao, really. 

“Shhh.” Yugao stopped as she found Hayate and blinked at the weird sight in front of her. 

Hayate, Azusa, and Inoichi were all hiding around the side of a building as they kept trying to take a peek at the street. Yugao and Tenzo landed silently beside the party and Yugao coughed and watched with wild amusement as all three shinobi jumped once they realized she was there. 

“Ah! Yugao, don’t scare us like that!” Azusa whined before Inoichi covered his mouth to hush all of them before leaning over the side of the building again. 

“We don’t want him to catch us!” Inoichi hissed.

“Who? Tenzo asked as he made his way over the side of the building to look around it only to be pulled back by the tall blond man. “Are you spying on someone? An enemy?”

“Not an enemy.” Hayate coughed before he blinked at Yugao and then Tenzo. “Who are you?”

“This is Tenzo.” Yugao sighed before she flipped her hair. She glanced over the side of the wall before her face went red and she turned back to see the three shinobi blushing at getting caught. Tenzo was waiting patiently for an explanation as she glared at the other three. “You’re spying on Iruka?!”

“It’s training!” Inoichi lied through his teeth as he shoved the teens away so that he could watch Iruka from their hiding place. 

“It’s really not.” Hayate laughed slightly before he shrugged at Yugao. “Iruka’s on a date and Inoichi-sensei was sad that Iruka hadn’t told him about his boyfriend so we came to investigate.” 

“I was not sad.” Inoichi scoffed. “I would spy on all of you, it’s my job as your teacher to make sure you aren’t falling into the wrong crowd.” 

“We have to make sure this guy is good enough.” Azusa nodded as he leaned over with Inoichi. “I’m not sure I like him, he smiles at Iruka too much.”

“They’re on a date.” Yugao groaned before she shook her head and glanced at Tenzo. “I hope you’re learning lots from this.”

Tenzo just shook his head. “I’m actually more confused. Do friends often spy on each other?”

There was a mix of answers before suddenly Inoichi and Azusa were back on their side of the wall and moving away. Tenzo tensed, hand at his weapon before Yugao grabbed his wrist with a smile, he read her expression and forced himself to relax before he realized why everyone had tensed. Iruka came around the corner with his date and sighed at the sight of the group. 

“Really?” The teen groaned. 

Tenzo blinked at the date, who smiled back at him. If Tenzo remembered, the date was Uchiha Shisui, another ANBU under the Hokage who was feared by many. Tenzo didn’t recognize the teen next to Shisui and wondered if the teen knew that his date was a killer. 

Or did that not matter to shinobi? Since they were all killers, at the end of the day. 

“Shisui...this is team Inoichi, Yugao and...uh…” Iruka blinked as he stared at Tenzo. “I don’t know you.” 

“Tenzo.” Shisui responded with a nod before he smiled at Iruka. The older teen gave everyone a small bow bow before he took Iruka’s hand, something that had Azusa and Inoichi blushing like it was indecent -- Yugao wondered if they were both being a little too overprotective of Iruka since the teen had returned -- before Shisui pulled Iruka towards the street. “Did you want to get ramen?”

“Of course.” Iruka blushed, waving off his team for a moment before he paused and glared at all of them. Even Hayate straightened at the look. “If you have time to follow us then you have time to be training.”

“Hahaha.” Inoichi laughed as he scratched the back of his head, his other two students slumped at that and Iruka smiled at everyone. 

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” And with that Iruka and Shisui made their way back down the street. 

“Have him home before dark!” Azusa shouted after their retreating forms and Hayate hit him on the head. “Ow!” 

“You’re not his mom.” Hayate sighed. “I’m going to go train.”

“We’ll come with.” Yugao motioned at her and Tenzo, Azusa just sighed before he shook his head. 

“I have to head back home. My dad needs help with his shop.” 

“I guess I’ll…” Inoichi paused before he saw all the glares pointed his way. “I’ll go home to my lovely daughter. That is what I was going to say!” 

No one believed him. 

\---

Gai ducked the leg but wasn’t able to move fast enough to block the fist to his side. He already had a broken rib or two and it was slowing him down. He could taste blood in his mouth and he managed to put some distance between him and his attackers so he could get a breath. 

“Down!” And Gai dropped down to the ground, ignore how his side screamed at him as a line of snakes shot out over him and the two men that had been attacking Gai were incapacitated. “Are you okay, captain?”

Gai just grunted as he spit out the blood before he got to his feet and nodded at Anko. She was young but he was quickly learning how powerful she was. “Report.”

“We’ve taken out the guards, these were the last two.” Anko turned the two bodies over before checking their pulses. “Kurenai should be in the house now.”

“Let’s go.” Gai took off running toward the house. Their mission was twofold, the first part was figure out if the lord had been selling Konoha’s secrets to other villages, and depending on his answer...it either turned into an assassination mission or a warning message. 

Gai and Anko only made it to the doorway as Kurenai walking out. There was blood covering the front of her body, she had clearly been in front of the mark when she had slit his throat. Gai found himself frowning at that though, knowing how Kurenai hated taking life unless it was necessary, but whatever the man must have said, it was enough to earn him a bloody and most likely painful demise. 

“I have to say it.” Anko smiled as she eyed Kurenai. “You look good like that.” 

Kurenai just smirked at her friend, wiping the blood from her cheek before she turned to Gai. “Mission is completed.”

“Then let’s go home.” Gai smiled, hoping that Kurenai hadn’t read his thoughts of the sight of her covered in blood but she just nodded at the team set off. 

He would try to take them by the stream on the way back to the village. Kurenai might not ask for it, but no one should have to travel covered in blood. There was a small movement to the side and Gai noticed how Anko was leering at Kurenai which caused the kunoichi to laugh. 

Gai just shook his head. 

Kunoichi were really scary sometimes. 

\---

“If I’m going, then you will go.” Tenzo spoke clearly and Kakashi glared at the teen. 

“You should go, because it’s a festival and that’s what normal people go to. That’s what you want to do right, have a normal life?” Kakashi sighed as Tenzo nodded. “You don’t need me there.”

“I want you to come with me.” Tenzo tried a different tactic and Kakashi leered at his friend. 

“Are you asking me on a date?” Kakashi purred but Tenzo just gave him a blank face. Kakashi sighed before he nodded his head. “Fine, but we’re not staying long.”

Tenzo smiled then before he took off into the house, most likely to put on whatever yukata he had brought for the festival, before he came to Kakashi pretending like he had no idea what was happening. Kakashi was on to the little liar, playing everything up because he knew how Kakashi would respond. 

The Copy-nin sighed before he smirked to himself. 

A festival could actually be a lot of fun. Especially if they were able to run into Gai in the process. Things had gotten better between the two of them and Kakashi wondered if it was natural for Kakashi and Gai to be friends. Even if it didn’t make sense to the Copy-nin.

The festival was a celebration for the spring and after Kakashi got there, he found that he was glad that he came. Tenzo seemed surprised by everything and Kakashi spent most of the night trying to figure out which expressions were real and which ones were playing it up. 

They did run into Gai which turned into a fun spar where they had the fight while doing hand stands, which entertained a great number of the villagers as well. 

“Senpai, let’s catch gold fish.” Tenzo’s voice was so determined that Kakashi found himself smiling before he caught sight of familiar brown hair. 

He felt like his breath was knocked out of him as he watched Iruka running to one booth. The teen looked a little older, he was in a dull green yukata that didn’t have any of the grandeur of what Kakashi had seen him wear in Uzutoshi but it still suited him well. 

The teen was alive. 

He was alive and he was in Konoha. 

Kakashi found himself thinking of the Icha Icha book that was in his pocket as Iruka turned to speak to the other person that he was with. Kakashi found himself wondering how Iruka would react if Kakashi went over to him. Wondered if Iruka would remember him before he realized that Iruka wouldn’t, Kakashi had been impersonating Asuma in their whole interaction. 

Kakashi blinked again as he realized he recognized the teen that Iruka was with. Shisui’s dark hair falling into his face as he smiled at Iruka, the genin blushing wildly before he grabbed Shisui’s hand. 

“Senpai?” 

Kakashi actually jumped before he turned to Tenzo to find that both Tenzo and Gai were staring past him. Clearly trying to figure out what Kakashi had been distracted with. 

“Goldfish? Right!” Kakashi shoved past them both and made his way to the stand. 

It was time to show Tenzo why Kakashi was the best. 

\---

Iruka stopped at the door to his apartment and bit his lip. Hiruma and Namaiki had taken Konohamaru to the festival and were going to be spending the week at the Sarutobi estate so Iruka knew that there was no one home. 

Which meant Iruka was going to have the place to himself. 

“Are you okay?” Shisui was leaning against Iruka and the genin nodded quickly as he unlocked the door and pulled the older teen in with him. “Your face is so red, what happened?”

Iruka bit his lip as he tried to think of what he wanted to say. 

They had been dating for a few months now. Shisui had kissed him, they had kissed a lot recently and Iruka wanted to go another step but he wasn’t sure how to say it. He quickly shut the door behind him before he turned and leaned against it. Shisui had taken a few steps in the apartment and was looking around with a smile. 

It was Shisui’s first time here. 

“Shisui…” Iruka started before he found himself looking at his feet. He must have hesitated too long because there was a hand under his jaw and suddenly Shisui was kissing him gently. 

Shisui kissed like a lover. Iruka thought as he grinned into it before pulling the other teen against him so that Shisui was pushing him against the wall. Iruka deepened the kiss, causing the Uchiha to groan before Shisui was suddenly putting more space between them. 

“Shis--”

“I don’t want you to feel pressured.” Shisui stated with a blush, he grabbed both of Iruka’s hands and kissed them both. “I know...I know why you’ve been nervous and I wanted you to know that we don’t have to rush. I like you.”

Iruka’s face was glowing red, he knew it was, but he couldn't stop smiling. “I like you, too.”

Shisui smiled at that, before he took Iruka’s hands again. They both stood there, grinning like idiots before Iruka grabbed Shisui’s yukata and pulled the other teen to him, giving Shisui a deep kiss in the middle of the living room. They both stayed there for a few minutes before Iruka took a step back. 

“I want to.” Iruka whispered before he looked Shisui in the eye. “My first time was almost on a mission at a brothel, but I was lucky and it didn’t turn out that way. I would like my actual first time...to be with you...if you’re okay with that.”

Shisui’s face was in Iruka’s shoulder and Iruka smiled at the other teen shook against him. Shisui took a deep breath before he stood straight and shook his head. “You’re going to kill me if you say things like that.”

Iruka just smiled before he pulled Shisui to his room. 

He knew that Hiruma and Namaiki wouldn’t care about him having a friend over, but he was not going to push his luck doing anything anywhere except his own room. 

Both of them laughed as Iruka locked the door to his room anyway before he sat Shisui on the bed and then ran over to open the window. He blushed slightly when Shisui gave him a look but he didn’t want to explain that it was to help air out the room for what they were about to do so Iruka ran around the room a bit more before suddenly Shisui was pulling him on the bed as well. 

Iruka smiled up on his bed as Shisui leaned over him. 

He was so happy. 

“I really do like you.” Iruka whispered and Shisui smiled again. Before Shisui could say anything else, Iruka grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him into another kiss, letting Shisui rearrange them so that the older teen was basically laying on top of Iruka. 

Iruka leaned up to kiss Shisui’s neck and the teen gasped slightly before he ran his hands against Iruka’s next then slowly into the yukata. Iruka blushing furiously before he made them both sit up so that he could undo his yukata, Shisui taking the hint and undoing his as well. 

They boy laughed at the silence in the room before Shisui was kissing Iruka’s neck. His hand going down Iruka’s chest as Iruka ran his hands down Shisui’s back. Feel the marks and scars from missions, wondering the crazy things the other teen must have seen when he left the village, let alone when he was on an ANBU assignment. 

Iruka felt Shisui’s hand wrap about his erection and gasped loudly, spreading his legs to give the other teen easier access as he reached down to rub his hand against Shisui’s. They were both breathing heavily and if Iruka wasn’t so turned on, so hard at the moment, he would have been self conscious but at the the moment all he wanted to do was get this to the next step. 

He stretched back, reaching for his nightstand to find the lube but before he made it, Iruka made a choking noise as Shisui’s mouth was swallowing him down. “Shisui!”

Iruka wished he could record what was happening right now. He never wanted to forget this feeling. He tried to take calming breaths as he watched Shisui bob up and down, his legs turning into the jelly as the suction brought him close. “Shisui, I’m about to--” 

Shisui swallowed him again and Iruka cried out, both of his hands moving up to hide his face as he tried to catch his breath. 

Oh. 

Oh, that had been so much better than his hand. 

“Hey.” Shisui was moving against and Iruka only had a small warning before Shisui was moving his hands hand and smiling down at him. “Don’t hide from me, please.”

Iruka just made a choked noise before he pulled Shisui down for a kiss, not caring that he could taste himself. Iruka licked into Shisui’s mouth, reaching down to grab the dark haired teen’s erection that was pressing into this hip but Shisui separated them, breathing heavily as he smiled down at Iruka. 

“What were you reaching for again?”

Iruka blinked slowly, trying to figure out what Shisui was talking about before he laughed. He turned over to get a better view of his side table and opened the top drawer quickly to get the lube he had bought a week ago. 

He was prepared, had been prepared for some time. 

Iruka was about to turn over but Shisui had started to kiss his back and the teen liked how it felt. He hummed as he felt teeth against his shoulder as he opened the lube to spread it on his fingers. Iruka bit his lip as he reached behind himself to press a finger into his opening and suddenly Shisui was the one who was swearing. 

Iruka turned his head to smile back at Shisui only to have arms on his hips flipping him over so that he was on his back again. Iruka’s fingers had slipped out of himself and he grunted before he glanced up at Shisui to see red eyes staring back. 

“Sharingan?” Iruka choked out in surprise. 

“Sorry!” Shisui covered his eyes as his face went red. “Sometimes, when I get excited they--”

Iruka grabbed Shisui’s hands and pulled them away so that he could look the other teen in the eyes and smiled. Iruka bit his lip before pulled Shisui into another kiss, enjoying how the teens hands had returned to his hips. 

Shisui was leaning forward slowly, almost pressing Iruka into the mattress before he pulled back. Iruka spotted the bottle of lube in his hands and Shisui smiled as he poured some on his fingers before pressing into Iruka slowly. The genin groaned, placing his forehead on Shisui’s shoulder so that he could watch Shisui’s hands open him up. 

“Your hands.” Shisui’s started before he pressed another finger in causing Iruka’s breath to hitch. “Watching you work yourself open with your own hands, that’s what activated them.” 

“Yeah?” Iruka was breathless, his cock was already trying to fill again and he felt heavy as his lips brushed against Shisui’s cheek. 

“All I could think about is how I wanted you to open me up next time, with your amazing hands.” Iruka pulled Shisui into another kiss at that, pulling the teen over him so that the were lying over each other. 

Shisui was three fingers in and Iruka could feel his toes curling as they found his spot. Iruka bit at Shisui’s chin and the older teen sat back and made sure to watch his hands going into Iruka several times, only satisfied when he hit the spot each time. 

“Please!” Iruka gasped, he lifted one of his legs so they were around Shisui’s waist. “If I come again before you even have a chance, I might die.”

Shisui just smiled at that before he grabbed the lube again. Making sure to rub plenty on himself, hissing slightly as his erection finally got attention. There was only a few moments, them breathing heavily in the room before suddenly Shisui was pressing himself in. “Try to relax.”

Iruka nodded before his head fell back as he felt Shisui press further into him. 

This was different than fingers, definitely different from fingers. The genin bit his lip, turning his head when he felt his hair stick to the side of his face. Iruka glanced up at Shisui, his glowing red eyes staring back at Iruka as if memorizing this very moment. Iruka smiled up, ignoring how full he felt as he wrapped his legs firmly around Shisui’s hips. 

“Oh my god.” Shisui gasped as he finally entered the rest of the way. “You’re so tight, is it okay? Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Iruka smiled breathless as he reached out for the other teen. Shisui came to him instantly and they started kissing again, slower. “You feel great inside me.”

“Iruka.” Shisui swore before he started kissing the younger teen harder. “You really got to stop saying things like that. I won’t last.”

“I don’t want you to.” Iruka groaned as he started to move his own hips, both of them swearing as Shisui’s cock rubbed against Iruka’s prostate. Iruka let out a loud breath, grabbing Shisui’s arms he steadied himself on the bed. He made sure to smile up at Shisui with a smile. “I want to feel you inside me, I want to feel what it’s like to have you fill me up, I want--”

“Dammit.” Shisui started rocking then. Setting a steady pace that had Iruka gasping. His back arching as he tried to meet Shisui’s thrusts. 

They weren’t going to last long. 

Not like this. 

“Iruka.” Shisui started to kiss Iruka’s chest, licking then sucking on one of his nipples before grabbing Iruka’s erection and pumping it a few times. Iruka came with a shout, his thighs tightening around Shisui before he felt the other teen thrust in and tense. Shisui swearing and pleading Iruka’s name as he came hard. 

They both sat there panting, Iruka staring at the ceiling like he finally understood all the answers in the world. 

There were a few beats of silence before Iruka pulled on Shisui’s hair and smiled at his friend who was still panting against him. 

This was worth the wait. 

\---

Asuma stomped off. 

He wondered if the whole village could feel his killing intent or if he just felt this way in his head. He wanted to smoke but when he tried to light his cigarette he was shaking too bad to make it worth it. 

His old man was a fool who sent people to die for useless reasons. 

Asuma growled to himself as he made his way to the training grounds. He needed to leave, he needed to take a break from Konoha and this village and his father. 

From his ‘Will of Fire’. 

Asuma scoffed. 

Naive old man. 

\---

Teuchi never thought he would ask a customer to leave but as he stared at the bright orange book that the perverted ninja was reading, in broad daylight and wondered what he should do. 

Gai was talking to Kakashi as if there was nothing wrong with the teen reading porn out in public but Teuchi thought briefly about what that meant, that he was using Gai to measure sanity. 

“Hey, Kakashi-san.” Kakashi paused from his book to glance down at Ayame as she stared up at him. 

“Hm?”

“What is your book about?” Ayame asked with a smile, as both Teuchi and Gai sputtered. Kakashi just blinked slowly before he closed it. He glanced at Teuchi as he put the book in his pouch before he bowed his head. 

“Thank you for the meal.” Teuchi hadn’t even seen the man eat but his bowl was empty as he stood from his stool. Kakashi turned to Ayame before he knelt down in front of her. He took a deep breath before he placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s about unicorns.” 

With that the Copy-nin vanished and Teuchi felt the vein in his head pop as Ayame started at him with wide excited eyes. “Dad! Can I get that book?”

Teuchi took a deep breath before he turned to Gai. “He’s officially banned.”

Gai just swallowed before nodding his head. 

\---

Sasuke stared at his older brother and frowned. Were teenagers always his boring?

“Brother, can’t you show me how to throw shuriken today?” The boy groaned as he leaned against his older brother’s side with a pout. His brother’s friend laughed lightly and Sasuke glared at him. 

Shisui smiled at that. “Itachi has to finish his tags before he can do anything...but if you want, I could show you?”

If possible, Sasuke’s pout got even bigger. “I only want my brother to show me...he’s the best.”

Shisui smiled at that, enjoying how Itachi’s cheeks pinked. He was about to make fun of bother brothers, now that he knew he would never win Sasuke’s favor before Shisui felt a familiar chakra signature. He turned his head from the training ground to see Iruka walking by with is arms full of scrolls. He sent out a flare of his own chakra to the teen and watched as Iruka’s face pinked as he looked around for Shisui. It didn’t take long and Iruka walked over to the group with a tired smile. 

“Your arms look full.” Shisui stood up to help relieve some of the burden, smiling softly as Iruka smiled at him. 

“The Hokage asked me to help out in the in the offices, apparently they needed someone with decent handwriting, and then they needed someone to--” Shisui silenced Iruka with a quick kiss causing the teen to bite his lip. “Sorry, just, I mean...hey.”

“Hey, Iruka.” Shisui nodded towards his companions. “This is Itachi and his little brother, Sasuke.”

“Your...cousins?” Iruka asked with a glance between Shisui and the others and Shisui just shrugged at that. They were cousins, if not directly. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” Itachi smirked and it looked like he might say something else but Shisui interrupted him. 

“How about I help you take this to the filing room and then we can hang out.” Shisui smiled and Iruka smiled brightly back with a nod. It only took a little juggling of the scrolls and then Shisui was waving his friends off as he left with Iruka. 

“That sounds boring, I would much rather train.” Sasuke sighed and Itachi laughed. 

“You’ll understand when you’re a little older.” Itachi smiled as he finished his last seal and nodded at his work. He let it dry for a few moments before he smiled at Sasuke. “Now let's practice your shurken.” 

Sasuke cheered at that before he ran into the field, not bothering to wait for Itachi to catch up to him. 

\---

Yugao laughed before she spotted two figures passing by, she didn’t other restraining herself, too happy at the company as she leaned over Hayate and called out. “Kakashi-senpai, Tenzo, over here!”

She watched as Tenzo turned to the group before grabbing Kakashi’s vest and dragging the older teen over the group. Kakashi looked bored at the whole ordeal but Anko, Gai, and Kurenai just cheered as they made room around their table. 

“Guys, be quiet. We don’t want to wake Anko’s mom.” Iruka whispered causing everyone to cheer a little softer. Iruka just laughed at that before he leaned against Shisui’s side. 

“Like I was saying.” Anko sat up straighter like she in a taller chair and stared at her audience. Kakashi just huffed before he pulled out his book and started reading, Tenzo smiled at him before turning his attention to the lively group. “I have officially had more first kisses then anyone here.”

“You can only have one!” Azusa squawked while Hayate sighed. 

“What are you, twelve?” Mizuki rolled his eyes at Anko and was only barely able to dodge the dumpling that was thrown at his head. 

“I’m not talking about my first kiss.” Anko leered at the table. “I’m talking about all the first kisses that I’ve taken.”

“Or stolen!” Iruka laughed, as he threw a toothpick at her. Kakashi found his eyes going up at his voice before they returned to the page. 

“Don’t be like that, Iruka-kun.” Anko leered. “It was the best birthday present you’ve ever received, admit it.” 

Tenzo watched as Mizuki started making fun of the other people at the table. People’s faces going red when he said something with a cutting tone, and Tenzo found himself wondering why Mizuki didn’t offer any of his own information to the group. It seemed like everyone was sharing except Mizuki, and a quiet girl who was sitting next to Azusa with a blush on her face. 

“Tsubaki, don’t blush any harder or you’re going to heat up the whole place.” Anko laughed as she hit the girl on the side causing the quiet girl to blush even harder. 

“Be nice, Anko.” Iruka and Mizuki spoke at the same time causing both the teens to laugh before Iruka continued talking. “She’s the newest chunin to the team, she’s allowed to be shy.”

There was some arguing, Tenzo watched as Kurenai whispered something to Gai that caused the man to laugh before Shisui pulled Iruka out of Anko’s reach when the loud teen started shouting about taking her kiss back. 

“I’ve never been kissed.” Tenzo stated, blinking as the whole table went quiet as he spoke. Yugao hit her hand on her face at that and Tenzo turned to Kakashi to see what he did wrong. 

Kakashi just turned another page in his book. 

“Well, we have to fix that!” Anko shouted before she was suddenly on the other side of the table, pulling Tenzo to his feet as her lips crashed into his. 

“Anko!” Iruka shouted and Tenzo could hear another person sputtering that Tenzo realized was Ibiki. He briefly remembered Yugao telling him about Ibiki and Anko dating but Tenzo hadn’t been sure what that meant. Were you not allowed to kiss other people people when you were dating? 

There were hands on his arms and Tenzo found himself being pulled back into Iruka’s chest as the teen continued to yell at Anko. Tenzo blinked as he felt his face heat up and found himself wanting to try again. He couldn’t reach Anko, now that Ibiki was also holding her back so he turned to the teen that was holding him and pushed himself up so that he was kissing Iruka. 

Iruka blinked as another pair of lips covered his and found his mouth opening as he was about to shout only to have tongue reaching in. 

There was a loud snap, something that caused Iruka to separate from Tenzo immediately, his face on fire as Anko cackled loudly at the scene. Iruka took a breath before he realized the sound that had caught Iruka’s attention had been Kakashi snapping his book shut. 

Loudly. 

“And that’s how you steal a kiss.” Anko crowed before Ibiki shoved her away from him. 

Iruka laughed as he made his way back over to Shisui, the teen clearly trying not to laugh at Iruka’s red face. 

“Why are you hooligans still here?” The group froze as Anko’s mom appeared in the stairs, her nightgown was loud colors and the broom in hands threatened the group. “Go home, now!” 

Everyone laughed as they scattered, trying to clean up their mess before the broom got them. Tenzo smiled as he watched Kakashi get whopped over the head once before they both made it out the the street. He just smiled, his cheeks still warm from the kisses, and realization that he had had a good time.

\---

“You have to be quiet.” Iruka laughed into Shisui’s shoulder as the other teen giggled into his pillow. “I wasn’t serious, it was just said in the moment.”

Shisui pouted a bit as he rubbed his thumb on Iruka’s bottom lip. “So you wouldn’t make a shrine to my body?”

Iruka flushed before he buried his face in Shisui’s hands and huffed. “If you let me do what we just did, to you every morning, I would build you whatever you want.”

Shisui flushed at that as he smirked. He pulled Iruka into a kiss and Iruka groaned before he pulled away. “I should really go now.” 

“Or you could stay?” Shisui whispered and Iruka laughed before he untangled himself from the other teen and glanced out the window. It was in the middle of the day, he probably could stay for a while longer but he was supposed to be meeting with Anko soon. 

“I’m sorry.” Iruka sighed, before he started reaching for his cloths. He paused as he found a picture of Shisui and his genin team. Iruka grabbed the photo and held it up as he remembered Shisui at that age. “You used to be so shy.”

“People change.” Shisui kissed Iruka’s shoulder before he started grabbing his own clothes. Iruka started fiddling around Shisui’s room a bit more, enjoying the time to look around before he was pulled into another kiss. Iruka bit his lip with a grin, thinking about seeing if Shisui would come to his place tonight before they heard a door slam downstairs. Shisui immediately went rigid in his arms and Iruka started to put his clothes on quickly. 

Iruka wasn’t sure what was happening, he knew that Shisui’s parents didn’t have a problem with their relationship...they just didn’t like it when Iruka came to the Uchiha compound. Shisui had never said anything, no one had actually told Iruka that, but the teen could tell. He gave Shisui a quick peck, trying to get across that it was okay, but Shisui seemed to focus on something else. 

The walked down together, Shisui holding Iruka’s hand tightly, before the made it to the living room where Shisui’s father and Fugaku Uchiha were talking. Iruka paused at Fugaku before giving the police chief a bow. 

“Iruka-kun.” Shisui’s father smiled, clearly glad to see Iruka but there was something tense behind his eyes. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“I just came by for a quick visit.” Iruka smiled at Shisui before he shrugged. “I have to head back to town to meet up with some old classmates. I hope you don’t mind that I came by.”

“Not at all.” Shisui’s father laughed but Iruka could feel the lie in the room. Iruka just smiled, bowing one more time before he pulled Shisui with him to the door. 

Shisui had been silent the whole time and Iruka kissed his boyfriend’s hand before letting go. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Shisui sighed, some of the tension leaving his shoulders before he smiled at Iruka. “I have a mission later today so you might not see me for a days. I promise to give you a proper greeting when I return.”

Iruka, who remembered the last proper greeting he got, turned bright red and smiled brightly. He leaned up to give Shisui one more quick kiss, whispering a small promise, before he took off down the road. 

Things seemed like they were getting tense at the Uchiha compound and Iruka hoped that everything was okay. He wanted to talk to Shisui about it, to see if there was anything he could do but he had a feeling that this one was topic that Shisui would not be able to talk about. 

He shook his head and smiled, he couldn’t be sad. 

He would just need to start counting down the days till when they saw each other again. 

\---

Gai paused, he had opened the door to his apartment expecting to see Asuma burning something in the kitchen, he had not expected to find Kurenai drinking on the couch with a letter in her hands. 

“Kur--”

“He left.” Kurenai sighed before taking another drink. Gai could see where the tears had stained her cheeks and found himself frowning as he made his way over to her. “The idiot finally left, one last temper tantrum with his dad and now he’s gone.”

Gai turned to where the door to Asuma’s room was and found it a mess. He frowned as he took a deep breath before he took the bottle from Kurenai and took a drink from it himself. 

It looked like Gai couldn’t help any of his friends. 

“He didn’t even say goodbye.” Kurenai laughed bitterly before she balled up the letter in her hands and threw it across the room. “Just left this stupid note on the table.”

“He’ll be back.” Gai muttered, truly believing it before he handed the bottle back to her. “You know he will.”

“I know.” Kurenai sighed before she took another drink. “I’m not going to wait for him though.”

Gai just shrugged at that and then both sat back to stare at the half empty apartment. The only noise coming from the bottle as it was passed between them. 

Gai closed his eyes.

Asuma would be back, he would. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings contain spoilers:
> 
> -Iruka dates Shisui.   
> -Iruka and Shisui have sex and are both under 18. 
> 
> Let me know if i should add any other warnings! 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Hold On To Your Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you have the chance to say goodbye, sometimes you don't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the amazing reviews! You guys make me so happy! 
> 
> Like usual, warnings are at the bottom of the chapter. If there are any warnings that you think I should add then let me know and I'll add them at the bottom or the tags. 
> 
> Enjoy.

\---

“To me!” Iruka shouted with a laugh as all his friends joined him. 

“To Iruka the chunin!” Anko shouted above everyone else and people started yelling and throwing napkins at her for being so loud. Iruka didn’t care, he just kept smiling. 

He was a chunin!

“The vest looks good on you.” Kurenai purred causing Iruka to flush as he smiled, Shisui just placed his hand on Iruka’s shoulders before agreeing. 

“I think green suits him.” Shisui let Iruka lean into him and Kurenai cooed at them while Anko made a gagging noise. 

“I bet you like him more without it on!” Izumo crowed before Kotetsu hit him over the head. They started whispering to each other furiously while Mizuki just rolled his eyes at them. Iruka smiled at the other teen and Mizuki gave him a smirk back. 

Anko ran to the counter of the dango shop, which was thankfully closed at this odd hour, to grab more wine and sake that her mom and conveniently left behind. There was water for whoever had to work the next day and while no one was really legal to drink, they weren’t going to turn themselves in. She quickly poured Iruka another glass and smiled. 

“I heard that you finally got your own place.” Azusa reached over the table to pull on Iruka’s ponytail, everyone laughing at his squawk. 

“I just moved across the hall.” Iruka blushed. “Hiruma’s landlord was nice enough to let me know as soon as it was coming up so it wasn’t much of a move. But it is definitely good to have my own space and I can still watch Konohamaru if they need help.”

“Only you would volunteer to watch kids.” Kurenai sighed. “No thank you.”

Iruka heard Anko say something about creating a jutsu so that men had to carry babies instead of women which started an argument. Ibiki not helping as he brought up strange facts about seahorses. Iruka felt Shisui kiss the side of his head before the teen let him know that he was going to step outside for a sec. 

Iruka knew that technically Shisui was on call for the ANBU tonight, so he probably had to make sure it was all clear. Iruka was just glad that he had been able to come. 

The teen turned his head to see a silver haired jonin in the corner and blinked. Kakashi had been there all night, as far as Iruka knew, but the man hadn’t said anything. Instead, he was reading his porn book and would only look up when Tenzo approached him. Iruka watched them interact for a bit, wondering how such an odd pair even met before he had Gai’s smiling face in front of him. 

“Congratulations! I heard that your youth and passion has gotten you to the next level of your career and I couldn’t be more happy!” Gai gave Iruka a thumbs up and the chunin could have sworn that the green beast’s teeth had shined. 

“Th-thank you.” Iruka laughed. There was a cough and Iruka smiled even brighter as Hayate and Yugao walked over. 

Yugao paused before she did a small nod in Kakashi’s direction. “Senpai.”

Kakashi just gave her a small wave and then turned a page in his book. 

Iruka turned his head so that he wasn’t staring, which was good because Hayate was already pouring him another drink and Iruka had to figure out how to make it look like he was drinking everything they poured while he managed to pour it back in other’s cups. He did not know how drunk they wanted him to get tonight, but he understood that Anko’s weird smirk meant that he couldn’t drop his guard. 

Then again, the person she kept smirking at wasn’t Iruka but Kakashi. 

Kakashi seemed to always be in the background of their group gatherings, when he showed up that was. The silver haired shinobi was weird but Iruka was glad that the jonin had started coming to these gatherings more and more. Though Iruka wondered if it had something to do with Tenzo who seemed to be the more social one out of the pair. (Which was weird when Iruka thought about it, Tenzo was his age but he had only just met the teen...where had he come from? And why was he always with Kakashi?) Iruka found himself blushing as he wondered if the two were dating. He had admitted to Shisui about how he had kind of idolized Kakashi when he was younger, the jonin always seeming a little larger to than life to Iruka when he was kid. 

Shisui and Iruka had laughed it off, both glad that Kakashi was becoming a friend. Iruka smiled to himself as his sipped on his drink, he was glad that Shisui and Kakashi got along. 

Maybe Iruka could become Kakashi’s friend, too. 

“I think your mom woke up.” Ibiki muttered to Anko causing the room to go quiet. 

No one wanted a repeat of Mrs. Mitarashi literally sweeping them out of her stand with a broom in her hand. 

It was embarrassing. 

Especially for ninja. 

\---

Kakashi pulled his ANBU mask out of his locker and paused as Crane walked in. He gave the other ANBU a nod and Crane returned it silently. 

Kakashi slipped the Hound mask on and took a deep breath. Crane had clearly come from the Hokage’s office, the smell of tobacco still lingering on his cloths. Kakashi released his breath and let the scent and sounds leave his senses as he prepared himself for the job. He didn’t have time to worry about why Crane had been visiting with the Hokage more and more recently. 

If it was something that he needed to know then he would be told. 

For now, the ANBU had a mission for team Ro. It wouldn’t take long, just a few days outside of the village before they returned. Kakashi wondered if he would be able to grab Gai when he got back and--Kakashi blinked as he left the locker room. He wasn’t sure where that thought had come from, but he found he didn’t mind. 

If anything, it would be nice to see Gai’s expression when Kakashi was the one to find him versus Gai doing all the work. 

They were rivals after all. 

\---

“Please.” Iruka nearly sobbed as Shusui thrust harder into him, he needed more, he needed so much more. “Shisui, please.”

“Tell me…” Shisui pulled Iruka back so that the teen was on his knees, leaning forward as Shisui was holding his arms. Shisui started thrusting harder and enjoyed the sight of Iruka’s back as the other teen dropped his head. “You need to tell me what you want.”

Iruka wanted them to be closer. 

The teen gasped, falling forward as Shisui let go of him before the older teen’s weight was on top of him. Shisui thrust deep into Iruka before he stilled, keeping Iruka filled with his cock as he started rocking his hips slowly knowing that he was rubbing Iruka’s prostrate like this. Iruka let out something like a choked sob and Shisui started kissing the teen’s neck before moving to his shoulders. 

“So full…” Iruka gasped, trying to rock his hips back into Shisui’s. “Oh god, you feel so good, so hot inside me.”

“Iruka…” Shisui groaned, wanting to know who taught Iruka to talk like this or if it was just the teen being so blatantly honest, either way, if got him even closer to the edge. “I don’t think I can hold it any longer.”

“No.” Iruka actually whined and Shisui swore as Iruka pushed back against him as if he could merge their bodies even more. Iruka made a pitiful noise again. “Hold it, want to stay like this all day. Want to have you in me for hours, just like this--”

“Fuck.” Shisui grunted as he came, gasping as he bit the back of Iruka’s neck before he reached between Iruka and the best to start pulling at Iruka’s erection. “You have such a mouth on you.”

Iruka just made a desperate noise as Shisui’s hand tightened around him, the teen still moving his hips and clenching around Shisui’s spent cock. The older teen groaning, wondering if he was going to be able to make it to a second around or if he was spent. 

His cock was definitely trying to fill out again. 

“Don’t be quiet.” Shisui bit at Iruka’s ear, causing the teen to gasp. “Got this whole place to yourself, you can be as loud as you want.”

“Nghnn.” Iruka grunted as he came, gasping loudly before he turned his body so that he could kiss Shisui. The younger teen groaning as he felt Shisui harden inside of him again. “Again?”

Shisui just laughed as he pushed the hair out of Iruka’s face and smiled down at the teen beneath. “You’re going to kill me.”

Iruka didn’t even look one bit apologetic at thas as he rolled both of them over so that he was on top. The younger teen sat back as he grabbed Shisui’s cock before he lowered himself on it in a single movement causing both of them to moan. 

Things had been getting a little distant between them, a little tense. Except for the sex, Shisui closed his eyes as Iruka started to ride him, the older teen could feel his Sharingan pulling at his chakra to be activated. He didn’t need anymore of a drain on his stamina than that they were currently doing. 

Iruka started swearing over him and Shisui found himself pulling the teen down for a kiss. Their teeth biting at their lips before Iruka’s tongue was in his and the older teen found himself wanting to pull Iruka in his arms and keep him there. 

Things were only going to get worse. 

Shisui knew that he was going to hurt Iruka in the future with the distance but it had to happen, it was the only way he could save lives. Keep the village safe. 

“Shisui…” Iruka gasped against the older teen’s mouth and Shisui grabbed Iruka’s hips to start thrusting up at his own pace. 

He would keep Iruka safe. 

He would protect him. 

And then maybe, one day, he would be able to tell him everything. 

\---

Kakashi glanced at the newest member of his team and sighed before he nodded for the kid to follow him. Itachi just blinked before shutting his locker and making his way out of the room after Kakashi. The kid was definitely the youngest recruit the ANBU had ever taken in, and judging by the way some of the other ANBU had acted so far, Kakashi was a little worried. 

“You’re young but you’re clearly going to surpass everyone here.” Kakashi started with a bored drawl as they made their way out of the headquarters and into Konoha’s streets. Itachi just kept his face blank and Kakashi found himself impressed with the kids professionalism. 

If only everyone was like this. 

“You’ll probably get harassed a bit more, but just don’t actually injure anyone and I don’t care if you put them in their place.” Itachi did give a small nod at this and Kakashi smirked. 

They walked a few blocks in silence before Kakashi stopped. He placed both of his hands in his pockets and his posture became loose as he stifled an overt yawn. “Also, if you need anything, then come to me.”

“Yes, captain.” Itachi murmured and Kakashi curved his eye at the kid. 

“It’s Kakashi, when we’re not in masks.” Kakashi stretched his neck a bit. 

Itachi seemed to hesitate at that before he gave Kakashi a small smile and a nod. “Of course, Kakashi-senpai.” 

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, he was going to have to get Tenzo and Yugao to stop calling him that. 

They both turned a corner before Kakashi suddenly found himself pausing at the sight in front of him. Long brown hair pulled back into what was becoming a trademark ponytail, even if Kakashi still remembered how it fell around the teen’s shoulders. Iruka was tugging Shisui into a store that seemed to be filled with mission supplies. The chunin was too excited to be going into a supply store but Shisui was clearly humoring him. 

Iruka seemed happy. 

Kakashi felt Itachi move beside him and let himself blink. He slowly moved his head to see Itachi also staring at the pair and wondered what Itachi’s connection to Shisui was, aside from their clan. 

What had he been doing?

“Oh.” Kakashi turned to Itachi one last time. “That’s all I wanted to say. I’ll see you tomorrow, make sure you learn the signs that we went over today.”

“Of course.” Itachi bowed his head before glancing back at the store that Kakashi had been staring at. Kakashi didn’t bother to give any reaction, just started walking in the opposite direction. 

He had some things to prepare before their mission tomorrow. 

And he had also heard rumor of a new volume in the Icha Icha series coming out. He wondered if the bookstore owner would have an idea of when it would be released. 

\---

“Is everything okay?”

Shisui turned to see Iruka staring at him from the floor. They had been cleaning Iruka’s apartment together, something that Shisui had gotten roped into helping with because he had been the one to knock over a bookshelf in their last game of who could last the longest. A game that Shisui found himself losing, a lot. 

He didn’t really mind. 

Iruka was surrounded by books and scrolls on the ground but he was still looking at Shisui and it made the Uchiha realize he hadn’t answered. He gave Iruka a small smile before shrugging. “Not really but I don’t think there is much to be done.”

Iruka frowned at that before nodding. “Well, you know…”

“I know.” Shisui hummed. Iruka had been polite and hadn’t asked too many questions, and Shisui appreciated it because he didn’t want to have to lie to the teen. He took a deep breath before he turned to his boyfriend. “I should let you know that I’ll probably be away for a bit over the next few weeks.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Iruka smiled and Shisui could already see what the teen was thinking. 

They couldn’t get into it now, as much as Shisui wanted to make sure that Iruka knew how important he was to the Uchiha. Shisui had an uneasy feeling about some of his recent orders and knew that he would need to put some distance between them. 

Getting emotional now would only make it harder.

“I promise to make it up to you.” Shisui slid off the couch so that he could pull Iruka into a kiss. The other teen being pulled along easily. 

“I know you will.” Iruka smirked before moved out of Shisui’s reach. “Now get out of here before I get you to mop the bathroom.” 

Shisui shoved Iruka back to the ground playfully as he walked past him. They didn’t say anything else as Shisui grabbed his pack and put his sandals back on. Shisui didn’t know what the right words would have been in the moment and decided to remain silent. 

Iruka just sighed as he heard his door click shut. 

He glanced around the mess of his apartment before he saw the sight of a familiar white chest. It had been the chest he had tripped on in Uzutoshi, something that Iruka had held onto though he hadn’t opened it yet. Choza had told Iruka to get it inspected before he tried to open it and the teen planned to, he just didn’t feel like walking it over right now. 

The teen stood as he went over to the chest before he shook his head and moved it over to his closet to put it in the back. 

He would open it one day. 

Just not today. 

\---

Tenzo didn’t like this. 

Kakashi was standing in his backyard, like a statue that was watching his vegetables grow. Tenzo found himself comparing Kakashi to his namesake before he shook his head, no point in going down that road. The younger teen made his way to his senpai before standing behind him to see what the silver haired teen was looking at. 

A tree. 

Not even a pretty tree. 

Tenzo hated it when Kakashi came back from missions that Tenzo hadn’t been on. He didn’t know what had happened or how he could help Kakashi snap out of the funk but clearly something had happened. There was a splash and Tenzo turned to see the goldfish that Kakashi had caught at the festival moving in the pond. It had taken Tenzo and Gai some time to finish the pond but Tenzo would admit that he was proud of it. He watched as the fish swam together before separating on their own with a bit of a smirk. 

They were getting big. 

“He was disappointed.” Kakashi whispered and Tenzo didn’t move. The best way to get information from Kakashi was to not be in the room, or to make it seem like you weren’t actually there. Kakashi sighed. “We were following Gai’s team and had to destroy everything afterwards.”

Tenzo nodded, sounded like standard practice. 

“He didn’t approve.” Kakashi stated with a shrug. The older teen standing a little straighter before stretching. Kakashi just let out another sigh before he turned back towards the house. “I’m going to take a nap.” 

Tenzo watched him go with a frown. 

The brunette didn’t understand why people thought Kakashi was so aloof, by foundation standards the teen was basically screaming across the room. It had taken Tenzo a while to get used to it. Tenzo let out a breath as he shook his head. He knew that Kakashi wouldn’t appreciate any words from him right now and Tenzo didn’t know what he would have been able to say in the first place. 

Gai’s opinion meant a lot to Kakashi, whether the green beast realized it or not. 

Tenzo wouldn’t be able to go with Kakashi on every mission, and he wouldn’t be able to stop people from not understanding ANBU. From not understanding the dark side of the shinobi lifestyle but he would try and be the support that Kakashi needed. Even if he had no words of wisdom, he at least understood the job. 

Understood what it truly was to endure. 

\---

“Oh captain!” Kotetsu leered as he pressed against Iruka’s side. “Please, tell me how you want me.”

“If you don’t take this serious then I’m sending you back to the academy!” Tsume yelled, her large dog beside her glaring at the group. Kotetsu was suddenly standing straight, Izumo and Mizuki beside him. 

“Thanks, Tsume-sensei.” Iruka laughed before he turned to his team, this was his first team on his first mission as team leader. “We’re going to Lightning country so pack what you need and meet at the gate in thirty. We’ll go over the details once we’re out of the village.”

Everyone gave a nod before they dispersed and Iruka rubbed the back of his head before he smiled at Tsume. “Thank you for your--”

“Geez, already emotional.” Tsume waved off Iruka’s thanks. “Men these days are just getting softer. Guess I should be happy you look competent coming from Inoichi’s camp. He’s as soft as they come.”

Iruka blinked. 

He had never heard anyone call Inoichi soft. 

“Just bring them back alive and with all their parts. Well, the necessary ones.” Tsume chuckled before she slapped Iruka on the back and left the mission room. 

“This is going to have so much fun.” Iruka mumbled to himself. He wouldn’t let Tsume and her crazy ruin this for him. There was a lot of really exciting things about this mission. The main one being that Iruka was in charge! 

It was a simple mission of artifact retrieval, but it also had the chance to go sideways and fast. Things were always tense between hidden villages, even when they weren’t at war. 

They didn’t hit any problems on their way out of the Fire Country. Iruka had been happy with the cover he had come up with, a group of young men traveling the world before they had to inherit their families businesses. They made it through the Land of Fields with no issues, aside from Mizuki going out of his way to flirt with every girl that they passed.

“He’s in heat.” Kotetsu complained loudly as they sat by the ocean, eating a quick meal and waiting for the boat to arrive. “He’s been like this since--”

Izumo elbowed Kotetsu hard in the stomach causing the other teen to cough. Iruka rolled his eyes at both of them when they started whispering rather loudly to each other about whatever code had been established in team Tsume. Iruka glanced to see Mizuki leaning into a server’s space, she was blushing nicely and clearly didn’t mind the attention. 

“He’s been like this since Shisui?” Iruka raised an eyebrow as both Izumo and Kotetsu stopped their bickering and looked at him in surprise. Iruka felt his eyebrow twitch. “You know I’m a ninja too, right? And me and Mizuki have always been competitive, it was not that hard to figure out.”

Kotetsu looked a little sheepish before he poked his fingers together. “We just didn’t want to bring anything up in case there was...you know...unresolved issues.”

Iruka blinked real slow at that. 

“What?” He laughed before he turned his attention to Izumo, clearly the smart one out of the pair. “You guys are joking right?”

Izumo just shrugged. 

Iruka felt his eyebrow twitch and had to take a deep breath. Inoichi-sensei always warned him that he had a temper like his mom, he needed to make sure to keep it under control. He definitely couldn’t kill his team before they finished the mission. 

Maybe after, but not before. 

“I can say this with certainty.” Iruka kept his voice flat and made sure he was annunciating clearly so that there would be no mistake. “I have not, nor will I ever, have any sort of relationship with Mizuki beyond friendship.”

“That’s what you say now…” Mizuki purred as he came up behind Iruka and put his hands around the other chunin. “I can be pretty convincing.”

Iruka just gave him a bored look. “I prefer my men to be bigger.” 

“Shisui is only slightly taller than me!” Mizuki let go of Iruka with a roll of his eyes. 

“I wasn’t talking about his height.” Iruka drawled, knowing that some of the effect was lost as he couldn’t hide his smile. Kotetsu and Izumo both choked on their food while Mizuki got red and tried to say something before thinking better of it and stomping back over to the server who had watched the whole interaction with a few giggles. 

“Don’t leave without me!” He called over his shoulder. 

“Don’t be late!” Iruka yelled back. 

Mizuki was late when he returned but it was fine because they’re boat took longer to leave port. Iruka was still peeved and made note of it mentally to go over it with his friend when the mission was over. He wouldn’t put it in the report but he would make sure to talk to Mizuki about proper mission behavior, even if Iruka was technically the newest to the chunin rank, he was mission leader. 

The Land of Lightning was beautiful. 

And, as it turned out, full of ninja who were more than happy to dispatch shinobi from Konoha as soon as Iruka’s team had been made. 

Iruka threw a kunai at his attacker before he managed to throw himself into the trees. Mizuki was still fighting his opponent with fervor and Iruka could see that Izumo and Kotetsu were struggling against theirs. It didn’t help that the ninja that had been on Iruka’s tail had turned to make it three against two. 

Mizuki growled before jumping so that he was with his team. They had found a small opening and Iruka started running over to them. He needed to end this quickly before anyone got seriously hurt. 

“Kotetsu!” Iruka jumped between his friends at the attacking shinobi, bringing his foot down on the nearest one before he jumped in the air and held his hand out. “Like the good old days!”

Kotetsu just smiled brightly as he jumped up to grab Iruka’s hands, putting chakra in his arms before he threw Iruka across the small opening they were fighting in so that Iruka was on the other side of the enemy. 

“Ignore the small one, we need to take out these three first!” The man Iruka had been fighting shouted and Iruka would have been pissed about being referred to as the small one if it wasn’t for the fact that he was rather short for his age. 

He would catch up, but still, it was rude to shout it so loudly. 

“Izumo!” Iruka shouted as he and Kotetsu both threw their arms up, the wire that Kotetsu had put in his hands stretching out between the both of them and making a somewhat sharp net. Izumo, who had already been running to the other side of criminals just smirked.

“Suiton: Mizuame Nabara!” A thick syrup came from Izumo’s mouth and their attackers jumped to avoid it only to get caught in the wire that Iruka and Kotetsu were holding. Iruka smiled brightly as he and Kotetsu pulled the wire down causing the ment to fall into the syrup, he turned to see Mizuki already releasing his shuriken barrage. 

If the enemy had been able to walk on the syrup, then they might have had a chance but they were defeated. 

“Let’s go.” Iruka shouted as he started back to the trees. “More will be coming!”

“We should take care of these guys, first.” Mizuki waved at the shinobi who were either knocked out or too busy bleeding to try anything. “So they can’t--”

“That’s not the mission.” Iruka snapped back. Izumo and Kotetsu jumping into the trees while Mizuki seemed ready to fight. Iruka didn’t know how long they had before reinforcements showed up but he wasn’t going to take a chance. “Fall in line, Mizuki.”

Mizuki flinched at that before frowning at Iruka and making his way to the trees. 

Iruka just took a breath before he followed after his team, he would make sure they didn’t leave a trail to follow as they raced back to the shore. The next boat was going to be leaving in an hour and if they booked it, they might be able to make it in time. 

\---

Kakashi glared at the white ceiling above him.

The hospital. 

How had he ended up in the--

“Oh, you’re awake.” Kakashi turned his glare at the nurse who paused a bit at his expression before making her way in the room. “Chakra depletion is a serious issue, Kakashi-san. You were dropped off here this morning by the guard that found you in the streets.”

Ah, so he had at least tried to make it home before he collapsed. It was good to know he had at least made it back to the village on his own. 

“I suggest that you come here first when you’re in such a state.” The nurse continued her lecture before she finished checking off his sheet. Kakashi waited for her to leave the room before he moved his hand. 

He had about 10% of his movement back, as soon as he made it to 20% then he should be able to make it back to his house. It would take a few more hours and Kakashi found himself glaring at the lights before closing his eyes. 

He hated hospitals. 

\--- 

Iruka sighed as shut the door to his apartment. 

It had been a long mission report, Iruka hadn’t realized how much more paperwork the team captain had to fill out but he had done his best to fill out every box. He had let Izumo, Kotetsu, and Mizuki go home while he went into the mission room and had been stuck in a line that was moving far too slow for how little ninja were in it. 

He would bring that up to the Hokage over their next tea. 

Iruka let his stuff drop to the ground as he made his way to his bed and flopped down on it. He wondered briefly if he should see if Shisui was home but found himself closing his eyes instead. Shisui had been stressed over the past few weeks and it had been causing more and more tension between them. They still tried to spend time with each other and yet Iruka found himself feeling like there was a giant hole in their relationship. 

Shisui was pushing him away and Iruka wasn’t ready to let go yet. 

The teen shook his head before he got off his bed and went over to the other side of the room where he did some of his training and meditation. He unrolled his mom’s scrolls on the walls that broke down her genjutsu and Iruka took a deep breath as he got in the stance his mom had shown him so many years ago. 

He remembered her warnings clearly and had decided to perfect the meditation side of it first before he used chakra. It was one thing to do these exercises and it was another thing completely to try and use your voice as a weapon. 

Iruka had to be careful. 

\---

“I heard Iruka-kun’s first mission was a success!” Shikaku grabbed Inoichi’s shoulder with a smile. “You must be a proud sensei.”

“They just grow up so fast.” Inoichi pouted, “And him in particular. He’s not impressed with me anymore, in fact, he snaps at me all the time. Telling me to fill out reports better, telling me to pay attention when he’s talking, telling me to--”

“Maybe he wouldn’t snap at you if you were doing your job?” Choza asked, unsure. 

Inoichi just glared at him. 

“Ah, thank you three for joining me.” The hokage smiled as team Ino-Shika-Cho walked into his office. The old man put down his pipe as he moved some of his paperwork aside. “I need the three of you to start evaluating our chunin, and any promising genin.”

Shikaku moved his head to the side at that. “Of course, what are the parameters?”

“Teaching.” The Hokage sighed. “Teaching at the Academy to be exact.”

“I thought that Suzume-sensei and Daikoku-sensei were leading all evaluations for instructors.” Choza hummed. “As you know, we had all the evaluations for chunins who might be up for jonin status but wouldn’t it be better for the Academy headmaster to be the one doing this search?”

“Actually, that just depends on why we’re…” Inoichi paused before he turned to the Hokage with a slightly surprised look. “Naruto.”

“Naruto.” The Hokage repeated with a nod. 

Shikaku sighed. This is why they needed to start looking. It wouldn’t be long before the child with the Kyubi inside of him became of age to enter the Academy and with all the ruckus that the blond had been making around the village, he was definitely going to be entering the academy. 

Yell about becoming Hokage enough and everyone is bound to hear you at least once. 

Shikaku did not think people would be lining up to teach the kid. 

“As you may have guessed,” The Hokage started with a stern gaze. “We have had a few instructors already put in their notice that they will not be taking Naruto’s class.”

“Why don’t we teach him privately?” Choza frowned as he said this, already shaking his head. “This would only delay the problem, and would only make the situation worse if he became a genin.”

“You see my problem.” The Hokage reached for his pipe again. The older men stood in the office as they let their leader light up his tobacco in a moment of silence. Each of them thinking of their own children that would be entering the Academy soon. 

“I want you to find candidates who you believe will not only be able to handle a classroom of children, but someone who you think will be able to separate any personal feelings from this assignment.” The Hokage let the smoke out of his mouth. “I would like to have your full evaluations by the end of the month.”

“Yes, sir.” All three men gave a slight bow as they left the office. The doors shutting behind them with a thud. 

Inoichi jumped up suddenly. “Oh no! Iruka!”

“What?” Shikaku glanced at his friend.

“I promised to help him set up a training exercise for him and the rest of the chunin who weren’t on mission today. He’s going to be so pissed!” Inoichi didn’t bother waving bye as he took off down the hall. 

“That’s really sad.” Choza laughed. “I think Inoichi is more scared of Iruka’s lectures than he was of Kohari’s pranks.”

Shikaku just chuckled and shook his head. 

He wondered if he should let Iruka know that getting Yuuka, Inoichi’s wife, on his side would be even more effective but decided against it. He shouldn’t betray his teammate like that. 

\---

He was dying. 

He was going to die. 

Shisui could taste the blood in his mouth as he made his way through the woods. He knew blood was pouring down the side of his face, Danzo’s attack had not only lost Shisui his eye, but had broken a few ribs as well. 

Damn Danzo and his Foundation. 

The chakra he should have been saving to keep himself alive a little longer had been wasted on escaping the ANBU and making it to Itachi. He had failed to get to the rally, he had failed to stop Fugaku and now things were going to get worse. 

He had to warn Itachi. 

He paused as his foot hit a branch, he didn’t have to look down to know that Itachi was at the stone beneath him. He ordered his friend to follow him before he continued towards the river. There was only one thing that Shisui could do and while he hated to put this burden on his younger cousin, it was the way it had to be. 

The both landed on the rocks at the same time, the night air feeling cool on Shisui’s face before he turned to Itachi. 

“We can’t stop the coup d’etat.” Shisui started. He explained everything, his plan for how he was going to stop the Uchiha betrayal. How he had planned to make sure that Konoha remained strong so that wars wouldn’t break out. 

He had wanted to avoid violence. 

Itachi was a silent force and Shisui found himself smirking slightly as he reached for his other eye. This was going to be it. 

“You’re the only person that I can count on, my best friend.” Shisui’s world went dark as he held his last eye in his hand. He turned so that he was facing Itachi. “Please protect the village...and the Uchiha name.”

He held out his hand, the breeze was cold or maybe he was going into shock. Shisui could feel the pain in his abdomen, Danzo’s hit was reminding him of the time he had left. Shisui tasted the blood in his mouth and relished in the fact that this would be the last time he would taste blood. 

“I accept.” 

Itachi’s words freed Shisui, for a moment. He felt as if he had been floating as he passed the weight on to his friend. Itachi asked him what to do next and Shisui felt himself crumble a little. He had wanted to spare Itachi this but it was the only way. 

“Wait, Shisui!” There was actual panic in Itachi’s voice and Shisui almost faltered. 

He didn’t think his friend had ever sounded so scared. 

“Don’t stop me, Itachi.” It was the only way. Shisui knew that Itachi wouldn’t understand, at least not right away but this was what needed to be done. It would give Itachi more time and it would cripple Danzo, at least for a moment. 

Shisui wasn’t arrogant but he understood his importance to the clan. He knew how much Fugaku hoped to use both him and Itachi in the coup, how much his father had been counting on him to restore the Uchihas to their rightful place. The clan would feel his death as a grave loss and it would silence them for a time. Hopefully long enough for Itachi to find a way to avoid war. 

Shisui could feel the edge behind him as he took a step back. 

“Itachi…” Shisui started. “Tell him…”

Shisui just smiled as his voice went out. There was nothing Itachi would be able to pass on to Iruka and they both knew that. 

This was really the end. 

Shisui tilted back, letting the air wrap around him as he fell. He could hear Itachi move, could hear his best friend cry out for him. 

Then it was over. 

\---

Teuchi paused as he watched a flock of crows fly overhead. 

He could feel a storm brewing in his bones and found himself ushering Ayame into the stall as they started to close shop. There wouldn’t be anymore customers today. 

It was only a few moments before the chimes went off, the ones that let the village know a shinobi had fallen. Teuchi closed his eyes and sent out a silent prayer for their family. 

He would burn incense for them tonight. 

It was all he could do. 

\---

Iruka stood in the doorway of his apartment and he felt like the world was falling down around him. 

No. 

That wasn’t right. 

It didn’t make sense. 

“Are...are you sure?” He knew that his voice was wavering as he stared at the young ANBU in front of him. The Neko mask firmly in place that hid any sort of reaction, it was just a wall. An empty expression that Iruka could only stare at as he felt his heart break. 

“You were on the list of notifications.” The ANBU paused before bowing slightly. “There is an investigation looking into his death but right now it is believed to be--”

“Don’t!” Iruka shouted, hitting the wall next to his door. He didn’t need the ANBU to repeat the message. 

He didn’t want to hear it again. 

“Iruka?” Namaiki opened the door, Konohamaru in her arms before she paused at the ANBU. “What is--”

“I am sorry for your loss.” The ANBU spoke spoke softly and that was what did it, Iruka crumbling to the floor. The ANBU did sound sorry, he actually seemed upset at Iruka’s pain. 

“Get out.” Iruka sobbed into his hands. His whole body was shaking as he curled into himself on the floor. “Get out of here.” 

There was a soft rustle and Iruka new the ANBU was gone. He could hear Namaiki saying something, maybe to Hiruma or another neighbor as Iruka found himself crawling into his apartment. 

He couldn’t. 

Not out in the hallway. 

He had barely made it in, shutting his door with a thud as Namaiki called after him. 

Iruka didn’t care. 

“No...no...no…” The teen started to sob before he screamed into his floor. His hands pulling at his hair as tried to make the pain go away. 

He was being ripped to pieces. 

Shisui with his kind smile. Shisui with his secrets and his own burdens but still the teen had always made time for Iruka. Shisui who blushed whenever Iruka held his hand, Shisui who had proper manners and a dry sense of humor. 

Not again. 

No, not again. 

Hadn’t he already lost enough? It wasn’t enough that the world had taken his parents from him, that he had already been alone for so long. 

He hadn’t even been allowed this. 

“Shisui…” The tears wouldn’t stop, he hadn’t even realized he was rocking back and forth as he hugged himself. It couldn’t be true, Shisui wouldn’t kill himself. 

He wouldn’t. 

There was a pounding noise and Iruka realized that it was coming from his door. He could hear Hiruma’s voice talking to him on the other side and he just shook his head. He couldn’t let anyone in. 

Not right now. 

“Iruka, please.” And that was Namaiki’s voice. “Let us help.”

“I’m sorry.” Iruka whispered as he broke even more. His forehead touched the floor, landing in a small pool of his tear as he continued to cry. He needed to be alone. There was some more noise, Iruka didn’t really care as he tried to calm himself. The tears and snot wouldn’t stop but he could breathe. He was taking one shaky breath after the other. 

Shisui. 

Shisui, why?

He didn’t know how long he had been like that. On the floor crying, trying to hold himself together as he watched the shadows change on the floor. He would have to get up at some point. Would have to leave his apartment and go to the memorial, would have to pay his respects. 

Would have to say good bye. 

“...ka, I’m gon...ove you now.” Iruka hadn’t even realized someone had broken into his apartment until he felt arms lifting him up. Everything was fuzzy, his head screaming at him as he was suddenly off the ground. 

“Bring him over here.” Iruka could make out Hayate’s voice which meant that Azusa was the one holding him. He just let himself stay limp as he was placed on his mattress. 

His teammates talked over him, sometimes too him, but Iruka just turned over so that he was staring at the wall. He felt a blanket get placed over him and heard Azusa move to his kitchen. There was a clinking of dishes that let him know his teammate had started cleaning Iruka’s apartment. 

Cleaning was how Azusa kept busy when he didn’t know what else to do. 

There was a breath beside him before Iruka felt Hayate lay on the bed next to him. His friend rubbing Iruka’s back quietly, far enough away that Iruka didn’t feel smothered while keeping his hands light on the touch so that Iruka could pull away if he wanted to. 

“We heard. You don’t need to say anything.” Hayate whispered and Iruka found that he had more tears to cry. 

If he wasn’t able to muffle all of his sobs, no one said anything. And if both of his teammates didn’t leave his side for the next two days, Iruka would have to find a way to let them know how grateful he was once he was able to form he words. 

\---

“I heard he wasn’t allowed to attend the memorial.” 

“Yeah, the family wanted to keep it small...since you...you know.”

“So sad.”

Kakashi glared at the women who were gossiping in the dango shop and they went silent immediately. He could feel Kurenai and Gai tense next to him, most likely feeling his anger as it radiated from his chakra but he didn’t bother hiding it. 

“Don’t.” Kurenai grabbed Kakashi’s hand, making him stand down. He found himself relaxing at her touch as he turned to her. “You don’t want to cause more talk, just let them tire themselves out.”

Kakashi wanted to say something about how he would rather silence them permanently but then Gai’s hand was on his shoulder as if to hold Kakashi in place and the Copy-nin found himself grounded. 

It wasn’t fair. 

Shisui had been a good shinobi and then to end up as town gossip because people didn’t understand the darkness that shinobi faced every day...civilians would never understand. And now Iruka was part of the gossip as well, these women pitying the teen. 

“This feeling.” Gai spoke softly as he touched his own chest. “Is something that I’ve lived with for years, it never goes away. When someone close to me is misunderstood or someone talks ill of them, it aches.”

Kakashi wanted to scoff at that, but found himself silenced at Kurenai and Gai’s gazes. This feeling, this helplessness that Kakashi was feeling was something they they had felt for him many times over. 

How many times had Kakashi been talked about in this village. Had his name gone around as a murderer and comrade killer. 

He had made them feel this way.

Kakashi shut his eyes and turned his attention back to his friends. It was taking him longer than it should have, but Kakashi was beginning to understand why Minato had wanted him to embrace connections in his youth. 

\---

“Thank you for the tea.” Iruka murmured into his cup. 

“Iruka-kun, I’m worried about you.” The Hokage sighed, not even bothering to hide the reason why he had called the teen to his office. 

For the past year they had been having weekly teas when Iruka wasn’t on mission, the Hokage would even visit him at the hospital if the teen couldn’t make it to him because of an injury but Iruka had missed the past few weeks. The Hokage had wanted to give the teen some space, Hiruzen had been the one to send Shisui on the path that lead to his end and he felt responsible for the despondent teen sitting across from him. 

“Am I doing something wrong?” Iruka asked gently after he sipped his tea. He looked tired, but he seemed genuinely surprised that the Hokage was worried about him. 

Hiruzen frowned. 

Iruka was young, HIruzen had to remind himself. He might not realize how much he meant to the people around him, how much he affected their lives. The old man shook his head and pointed over to the shogi board in the corner. Iruka smiled at that, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes as he got up to retrieve it. 

Iruka was thin, his 16 years of life had been active, and the chunin vest almost seemed bulky on his form. The Hokage wondered how long it would be before Iruka grew into it and shook his head as he watched the teen lift the shogi board effortlessly. 

He loved you, Hiruzen wanted to say but kept his mouth shut. Shisui had loved Iruka, had loved Konoha and had embraced the Will of Fire. Hiruzen wanted to grab the teen and pull him into a hug like he had done so long ago but he just stayed in his chair and watched Iruka set the board in front of him and start setting up the game. 

“Is there anything I can do for you?” The Hokage found himself saying, instead of everything else he wanted to. 

The teen paused before he laid the final piece and brought his gaze up to the Hokage. “I want to visit his grave.” 

And wasn’t that like Iruka, at this moment the Hokage would have done anything for this young chunin and all Iruka asked for was a chance to say goodbye. Hiruzen shut his eyes and took a deep breath before he gave the teen a nod. “Send a request to Fugaku and it will happen.” 

Iruka blinked at that before he gave the Hokage a small bow and then they started their game. The Hokage made sure to make a mental note to keep these games up, to not leave Iruka on his own for that long again. He wondered if he could get the teen to bring his grandson with him as well. 

“Are you paying attention?” Iruka sighed as he took another piece off the board. 

The Hokage choked a bit on his pipe as he realized how he had left himself open. He just pouted and gave the board a better look, ignoring how Iruka was giving him a pitying look. The teen’s cheeks look like they had a little more color to them since the start of the visit and the Hokage decided to count it as a success. 

\---

“Kakashi.” 

Kakashi turned his head to see Gai running up to him. This rival frowned at the book in Kakashi’s hands before he place his hands on his hips. “When will you give that up?”

“Give what up?” Kakashi turned so that he was reading the page he had been on. 

It was one of his favorite scenes. 

“Ugh.” Gai threw his hands up in the air and let out a few frustrated noises as Kakashi kept reading. The Copy-nin made it a few more pages before he realized that Gai was still there and staring at him with disappointment. 

“What?” Kakashi sighed. 

“For our next challenge, if I beat you then you have to stop reading those books.” Gai pointed at Kakashi dramatically. “You can choose the challenge this time and I will beat you!”

Kakashi blinked for a moment before he tilted his head. He tapped his chin to give himself a few more seconds before he nodded and turned to Gai. “But if I win then you have to lose that red scarf.”

“Lose it?” Gai grabbed his scarf in alarm.

“Burn it.” Kakashi nodded, enjoying how Gai frowned at that before he rival nodeed. 

“Fine! For I won’t be the one losing!” 

And honestly, Kakashi would never admit it, but he had barely beaten Gai. It had been a real close call and if that cat hadn’t jumped out of nowhere then Kakashi would have lost his favorite book series. 

\---

Iruka took a breath as he approached the Uchiha estate, it had been a week since his tea with the Hokage and he had finally sent a formal letter to the head of the family for a chance to visit Shisui’s grave. Fugaku had granted it as long as Iruka came while the rest of the family was at temple, this way he didn’t distract anyone with his presence. 

Iruka had been surprised to see Shisui’s father waiting for him at the entrance. 

“I thought I would walk you to the grave.” The old man spoke quietly and Iruka was saddened by how pale and tired the man look. 

“Thank you.” Iruka kept his voice soft as they made their way down the empty streets. 

They didn’t say a word to each other, didn’t even look at each other as Iruka followed the man. Honestly, Iruka didn’t know what to say. Shisui’s father had always been polite and welcoming, which had surprised Iruka, but there had also always been that distance. Iruka was an outsider. It took a while to get to the graves but Iruka found the new stone surrounded by flowers and found his throat closing up. 

Shisui. 

He took a breath before he places his flowers in the vase next to the stone, hoping that the water would help them live a little longer. He took another breath and it shuddered in his chest as he felt the tears come. 

He wanted to be mad. 

To be angry at Shisui. 

But Iruka just found himself feeling empty. They had never talked about their futures. Had never made any promises that would have tasted bitter in Iruka’s mouth as he sat in front of Shisui’s grave but Iruka still felt like he had been lied to. 

Shisui had promised to make it up to him and now he never would. 

Iruka bowed his head and prayed that his friend had found peace. Prayed that Iruka’s parents were taking care of his boyfriend. He bit back the sob at that thought before he shook his head and pulled out his handkerchief to wipe the stone. 

It was already clean but it helped Iruka center himself as he felt the name carved into the stone. 

“Goodbye.” Iruka whispered before bowed one last time and got to his feet. 

Shisui’s father was staring at Iruka as if he had never seen the teen before and Iruka bowed towards the older man. He didn’t have any words that he could give Shisui’s father so he hoped that his respect was enough before he made his way out of the compound. 

If it took him till he was at the gates to stop his tears, Iruka didn’t mind. 

He passed by Shisui’s cousin as he made it out of the compound. The one that he saw Shisui with at the training grounds and gave Itachi a small bow before he continued on his way home. 

If he had turned around, he would have noticed Itachi watching him until he disappeared into the village. 

\---

“I don’t want to play with them.” Ino huffed. 

Inoichi laughed embarrassed at his daughter who was glaring at the two boys across from her. Shikamaru and Choji didn’t look impressed with her either but Inoichi was supposed to be watching all three children today while the wives were on missions and Shika-Cho were seeing to something with the Hokage. 

“Can’t you just leave us on our own?” Shikamaru sighed as he stared up at Inoichi with his pinky in his nose. “We’re not babies.”

“Yeah.” Choji and Ino agreed and Inoichi sighed, at least they agreed on something. 

“How about I let you guys play in the backyard?” Inoichi tried, thinking if there was anything that he would have to make sure they avoided back there. “And I’ll get started on dinner. 

The three kids all groaned but eventually agreed to play in the backyard, though they did not promise to play together and Inoichi took it as a win once they were running around in the grass. 

So much for the next Ino-Shika-Cho team. 

\---

“Like I thought, you work well on your own.” Ibiki stared at the ANBU in front of him and the prisoner that was tied on the ground. Hound clearly had been in a fight, there were stains on his uniform though Ibiki didn’t think any of it was Hound’s. “Thank you for your hard work.” 

Hound just nodded before he disappeared. 

It wasn’t until Kakashi was in the shower, watching the water wash the grime off his skin that he was able to take a take a deep breath. The mission had been easy, and the target had be easy to subdue. While Kakashi didn’t care for missions one way or another when it came to having back up or not, it was nice not to have to summon his ninken cause he was bleeding out on the forest floor. 

Kakashi wondered if he should head into town once he was clean. He needed to get dog food for the next time he summoned the pack and he could probably grab some hot food instead of eating whatever rations that hadn’t gone bad in his kitchen. 

He had two second of wondering if he should go catch some fish and cook something before his body let him know how sore it was. 

He felt like an old man, sometimes. 

Maybe he could get Tenzo to buy him dinner if he looked pathetic enough, but Kakashi knew that if Tenzo was out then most likely Yugao and Hayate were with him. The jonin smiled to himself as he got out of the hot spray and reached for a towel. He was happy that Tenzo had made some close friends, he had been worried that the teen would only connect to him for some time but it looked like Tenzo didn’t need him anymore. 

Yugao and Hayate were good shinbi. Kakashi made his way into his room and found some clean cloths, he would keep the loose pants and shirt on, no need for his vest or armor. Maybe Anko would be there, or Azusa and Iruka. 

Iruka. 

Kakashi wondered how the chunin was doing. He had seen him in passing in the mission room and sometimes when they’re friends were together but Iruka didn’t stay with the group long. Kakashi hissed as arm protested when he finally put his shirt on, he took a deep breath and shook his head. He understood what it was like to lose someone like that and while he knew that Iruka would be fine eventually, he also knew that if the chunin needed space for not then that’s what everyone would give him. 

Iruka would be fine, Kakashi was sure of it. 

\---

This mission was going to hell. 

“Iruka!” Inoichi shouted and rang across the farm that team Inoichi had been staying at for the night. They had been running for days, making sure that their tails hadn’t been able to catch them after they had stolen some cursed weapons from the daimyo of this area. 

Iruka felt himself cough up blood as he stared at the child in front of him. 

He hadn’t seen the weapon. 

He had been fighting the older man, the one that had set the farmhouse on fire before Iruka had seen a child run out in front of him. The hadn’t even registered the kid a threat, they couldn’t have been more than 5 years old and yet. 

The kid was staring Iruka in the face as he turned his blade, causing Iruka to cough up more blood. The kunai in Iruka’s hand falling loose, Iruka could feel his whole body go numb as it tried to fight what was happening to it. 

“Iruka!” Inoichi yelled again and Iruka grunted, trying to pull the sword out of his stomach to get away but the kid only stepped forward, pushing it further in. Iruka could hear more shouting, he needed to get back to his team, need to help them out there. 

He was able to tighten his hold on his kunai and bring his arm up, the sharp edge going towards the kid’s throat before Iruka paused. 

Iruka couldn’t kill a child. 

There quick shine against the burning farmhouse before suddenly the kid was falling to the ground, blood pouring from his throat as he stared at nothing. Iruka found himself frozen before suddenly Hayate was in front of him, Hayate’s sword back in its sheath as he gripped the blade that was impaling Iruka. 

“Shit, this is bad.” Hayate glanced at Iruka before looking at the wound. “Iruka, I’m going to pull this out but you can’t pass out. Okay?”

Iruka just nodded, grabbing onto Hayate’s shoulder as he felt the blade slide out of him. His body screaming louder at it’s leaving then it had when Iruka had first been stabbed. Blood filled Iruka’s mouth and he knew he needed to spit it how so that he didn’t vomit and make his stomach wound worse. 

“You idiot!” Inoichi was yelling now, Iruka tried to stay on his feet. He had never heard Inoichi yell like that before. Iruka continued to stare at the dead child as the heat from the fire grew stronger. 

He hadn’t been able to kill the kid. 

Iruka shut his eyes. 

Hadn’t even registered that the kid had a weapon.

He had fucked up. 

There was more yelling and Iruka barely heard Azusa say something before there was a sharp pain in his neck and everything went out. 

\---

It had been raining for three days. 

Kakashi stood in front of the memorial and watched as the water slid down the dark stone. His muscles were screaming at him, reminding him that if he wasn’t careful he would pass out here. 

“Senpai.”

Kakashi sighed. 

“That hurts my feelings, senpai.” Tenzo smirked as he approached the man. The teen held out his hand and formed an umbrella so that he could get Kakashi out of the rain. “You haven’t been home.”

Kakashi didn’t respond. 

He honestly didn’t know why he was hadn’t gone back to his house. He had actually been sleeping through the night, and he was exhausted. 

“Will you tell me about them?” 

Kakashi turned his head to see that Tenzo was looking at the stone. He felt the water drip from his hair and turned back so that he could read the names that stared back at him. He hummed slightly before he put his hands in his pockets, letting Tenzo know that he was ready to leave. 

“One day.” 

\---

Iruka groaned as tried to sit up in the hospital bed with Hayate helping him up. 

“It feels weird to be the one visiting you here.” Hayate laughed before he sat back on the stool. “You’re lucky that Inoichi-sensei lost his voice, I was afraid he would never stop yelling.”

Iruka tried to smile but knew that it wasn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Not that again.” Azusa sighed as he walked into the room. “Stop apologizing, it’s not going to change anything and if you start crying then I swear to god that I’m just going to leave for this mission without saying goodbye.”

Iruka blinked rapidly at that, he hadn’t been about to cry but he had to make sure he wouldn’t. Azusa just laughed at the before he glanced at his watch. “I’m about to be gone for about a week, when I get back we should get drinks?”

“Who’s on the team?” Hayate asked while he tried not to laugh at Iruka’s blinking. 

“Just a three-man cell, it’s me, Mizuki, and some chunin named Taro.” Azusa shrugged. “Simple smash and grab if you ask me.”

“Good thing no one ever asks you.” Iruka laughed before he smiled at his friend. “Drinks when you get back?”

“Just don’t bring Anko this time, she always takes things too far.” Azusa groaned. “Girl is insane.” 

They all laughed and Iruka sighed as he leaned back into his pillows. He would train with Hayate as soon as he was cleared to leave, then he would talk to Inoichi-sensei about what he needed to do to mentally prepare himself to take a life. 

He couldn’t let something like that happen again. 

Next time it would end up being one of his teammates that ended up in the hospital and Iruka refused to let his hesitation cause that. 

\---

“Keep running!” Mizuki shouted, he could see Azusa and Tora running beside him as they tried to put as much space between them and the enemy. 

They had managed to get the scroll but the enemy was too close. 

Mizuki wouldn’t let them get it back. 

Tora, the team captain, had given Mizuki the scroll and Mizuki could feel it’s weight on him as they kept running. They just needed to make it to the treeline and then they would be clear. 

“Cover Mizuki!” Tora yelled and Azusa confirmed as they adjusted their position to ensure that Mizuki would make it even if they were taken down. There was a slice in the air Mizuki found himself sliding on the ground as Azusa fell. 

No. 

They had to get to the trees. 

“Hey, are you alright?” Mizuki found Azusa swearing to the sky before the other teen turned his attention to Mizuki. 

“I...I can’t feel my leg.” 

Mizuki turned to look at Azusa’s leg and found himself frowning. The cut didn’t seem to be that bad but there was no way to tell how a body would react to being sliced open. 

They didn’t have the time. 

“How is he?” Tora shouted and Mizuki found himself making a decision to ensure the mission was a success. They had to get the scroll back. He leaned over and covered Azusa’s mouth with his hand before he shook his head at Tora. 

“It’s too late, he’s already…” Mizuki filtered off as Azusa stared up at him with wide eyes. 

“I see…” Tora swore and then the captain growled. “All right, withdraw!” 

Mizuki watched his captain's back disappear as the man ran towards the tree. Mizuki knew he only had a few moments before Tora could come back to see what was taking so long. His grib on Azusa’s face tightened as he leaned over the teen that he had considered his friend. 

“It’s unfortunate.” Mizuki pressed down harder and Azusa tried to claw at him but it was already too late. “But those who aren’t any use on a battlefield are just a hinderance.” 

Azusa was trying to scream at him and Mizuki just smiled. “You’re wound isn’t that bad but you won’t be able to move with it.” He almost laughed as Azusa started to shake his head. “If you hold a grudge then blame yourself for your own incompetence.” 

It didn’t take much longer before Azusa’s eyes rolled back and Mizuki felt the life leave the body beneath him. 

He had made the right call. 

They didn’t have time for dead weight, they needed to get back to Konoha as soon as possible. 

This had been the right thing to do. 

\---

Tsume watched as Mizuki left the Hokage’s office and kept her arms crossed. She waited a few beats before she turned to the old man. “There’s a red flag, isn’t there?”

The Hokage just nodded his head before he sighed. “The autopsy that came back told a different story, though some of the facts matched up.”

Tsume just hummed before she narrowed her eyes. She would have to keep an eye on her student, he had been acting strangely the past few months and now with this, she figured it was only going to be a matter of time before he snapped. 

She would have to make sure he didn’t hurt himself or anyone else in the process. Tsume felt a growl in the back of her throat before she forced herself to relax. This was just a red flag, not actual proof that anything had been done. She knew the Hokage would call her if anything concrete was found but she had a feeling that this would end up in one of the unsolved mysteries. 

The Hokage sighed before he made a motion with his hand. The ANBU Hound appeared beside them man and Tsume couldn’t hide the smirk on her face. 

She liked Hound. 

“Hokage-sama.” Hound bowed to the Hokage first before giving Tsume a nod. 

“Here is a list of people that I want watched at all times.” The Hokage handed over a small slip of paper. “They must not know they are under scrutiny.” 

Hound just nodded before he disappeared. The Hokage and Tsume let out a sigh at the same time before she motioned for the door. “Want to join me for a drink?”

“Not tonight.” Hiruzen smiled lightly at that. “I can only have them under watch while we have the manpower, after that I’m going to need your keen senses.” 

Tsume nodded and she made her way out. She had her handle on the door before the Hokage spoke again. “Tsume...what is your gut telling you?”

She clenched her teeth at that, not wanting to answer. Not wanting to put anymore light on her student that had started to rub her the wrong way. But she knew her silence was going to be answer enough and she left the office after her pause. 

She would have to look into Mizuki on her side of things as well. 

\---

“Maybe I should just stay in black.” Iruka tried to joke but it fell flat. Anko’s hand was heavy on his shoulder as they walked away from the graves. She had promised to walk with him which was the only reason he had been released from the hospital, the knife wound in his stomach making itself known every now and then if he got too active. He felt her pause before her hand slowly slipped away, Iruka glanced up to see Hayate and Inoichi-sensei waiting for him off to the side. 

He turned to give Anko a nod before he made his way over to his team. 

They stood in silence for a moment before Iruka glanced up at his teacher. He opened his mouth to say something before his eyes scrunched together, tears welling up on the sides. He hated this. 

He hated this so much. 

“I’m not supposed to outlive you guys.” Inoichi whispered causing Iruka to look up at the blond man. Inoichi’s eyes appeared to be somewhere else as he stared in the direction of Azusa’s grave. 

“Sensei--” Hayate started. 

“This mission saved a lot of lives.” Inoichi spoke clearly before he turned his attention back to his students. “The scroll they retrieved contained names, dates, and locations. It had a lot of information that not only would have put other comrades at risk but could have lead to the fall of Konoha.”

Iruka’s lips flattened together as he tried to stop the tears. When he spoke, his voice cracked but thankfully he was still clear. “Azusa died protecting Konoha, his home. That was his Will of Fire.”

Inoichi smiled sadly at that, Hayate wiping his eyes quickly before turning to look at Iruka and their teacher. “He would have been mad that we cried.”

“Don’t--don’t waste water.” Iruka choked a bit, remember how Azusa would yell at him when they were in the academy. “Crying makes you dehydrated.”

“He always carried an extra canteen on missions.” Inoichi’s lips curled as if fighting between a smile and a frown. “Just in case Iruka started crying again.”

Iruka let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob before he really started crying then. Hayate started laughing at that, ignoring his own tears. Inoichi pulled both of them into a hug and held his students tightly to him. 

He hated this. 

\---

Kurenai sighed as she watched Kakashi walk by the tea shop. 

“I heard Ebisu made Special Jonin.” Anko was tilting back in her seat, just far enough for it to be a challenge to keep her balance. Anko glanced at Kakashi’s back before turning to Kurenai. “He’s still the same as ever, I see.”

And the problem was that she was right. Kurenai and Gai had thought they had finally made a move in the right direction with Kakashi over the past few months but it seemed their friend had suddenly jumped feet first into even more ANBU missions. 

He didn’t even read his Icha Icha book anymore. 

“I heard Iruka was out of the hospital?” Kurenai changed the subject. “How is he doing?”

“Between missions and funerals, I’m surprised he leaves home in the morning.” Anko answered honestly before frowning. “He’s closing off.”

Kurenai watched her for a moment before pursing her lips. She took a sip of her tea before glancing at a group of travelers that were walking by the stand. She hadn’t seen them before which meant that they were new to town, probably not going to stay long. 

“I know what you’re thinking.” Anko leered, “How long has it been?”

“Long enough.” Kurenai shrugged before she blinked and then bit her lip. Kurenai hadn’t been with anyone since Asuma had left and while she wasn’t waiting for him to return, the first few months had felt like just another break up. 

But Asuma wasn’t coming back. 

Kurenai sighed before she turned to Anko with a thought. There was something that Kurenai enjoyed that made her feel alive, they helped her through the darkness after a mission or the loss of a friend...she didn’t know what Anko would think though. Anko just waited patiently for Kurenai to continue her thought. 

“Do you think Iruka would be ready?” Kurenai tried, she definitely didn’t want to force anything on the teen but it had been months. Maybe he needed this as much as she did. 

Anko gave Kurenai a look of confusion and the long haired kunoichi sighed. 

“I’m talking about sex.”

Anko sat up at that. Before looking at the group of men again, they had all decided to go to Korean BBQ it looked like. “I’m not sure…” 

“Just invite him out. We’ll keep an eye on him and if it goes sideways then everyone can come to my place.” Kurenai waved off any of Anko’s protests as she got up. Anko pouted a bit before taking a breath. 

She still didn’t think it seemed like something Iruka would do. 

\---

Tenzo stared at the men and women who were laughing and leaning into each other. 

He wished Kakashi was here to explain it to him. 

“You look lost.” Tenzo turned his attention to see Yugao’s Hayate staring at him with a smirk. “I know, it’s sad to watch them play this game but everybody has needs.” 

“Needs?” Tenzo muttered to himself before he heard a bark of laughed that had him turning. Iruka was leaning towards another young man and the man seemed to be really enjoying the attention. 

Oh. 

Those needs. 

Kakashi was not going to like this. Tenzo found himself frowning. This was one of those things he had to keep to himself, it was something that Yugao had been teaching him as they went out with friends more and more. 

Tenzo watched as Iruka was pulled from his seat by the other man and they quickly made their way out of the bar. 

He would definitely keep this to himself. 

\---

This was probably a bad idea but Iruka found himself jumping in feet first. 

“Is...is this okay?”

Iruka nodded, the hands on his hips were firm as they held him down. Their skin on fire, burning every time they slid together. Iruka let out a gasp as his erection rubbed against the sheets of the bed. 

He was still pissed at Anko, at her stupid suggestion, at her weird plot with Kurenai to get him out of the house. 

“Oh god…” The other man gasped against Iruka’s back as he started to thrust faster. Iruka made a keening noise and ended up ripping his sheets as he fell forward. The man behind him was hitting all the right spots, touching him everywhere he needed. 

Iruka thought his heart was about to explode. 

Rio, or was it Theo, grabbed Iruka’s thighs to bring the teen up against him and Iruka shuddered. 

Maybe he would forgive Anko. 

“I’m close.” Rio or Theo whispered and Iruka nodded as the other man started stroking Iruka’s erection. The teen coming fast and loudly with just one special twist of Rio, or Theo’s, wrist. 

Iruka groaned, panting against his sheets as he tried to catch his breath. The other man scooting him over so that they weren’t in a wet spot before getting up to dispose of the condom and probably grab a wet towel from the bathroom. 

Iruka felt tears prickle against his eyes as he thought of the only other person he had been with before this and then he shook his head. He quickly wiped his face and sat up to Rio/Theo holding a wet rag with a rather charming smile. Iruka reached out for it with a small smile of his own. 

“Um…” Rio/Theo scratched the back of his head. “That was amazing.”

“Mm.” Iruka hummed in agreement before he took a deep breath. He hadn’t done this sort of thing before and didn’t really know how it worked. “...do you..?”

“I have to head back.” The man smiled before reached out and pulled Iruka into a quick kiss. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back in Konoha but I would love to look you up when I am.”

Iruka put the rag against the back of his neck before shaking his head. “Probably not a good idea.” 

The man seemed not to know how to respond to that but he just nodded. They had a few awkward moments, a stilted goodbye, and then Iruka watched the stranger walk down the hall before he shut his door. 

He didn’t know if he felt better or worse after that, but at least he felt something. 

Anko was still going to get a lecture. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Contains some spoilers:   
> -Canon Character Death  
> -Character Death  
> -Underage Sex -- characters are 16/17   
> -Sex with a stranger 
> 
>  
> 
> All reviews and kudos are appreciated! Hope you are enjoying this story!


	8. See Right Through My Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Iruka have a couple of missions together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> No warnings for this one! Just canon-type violence, I guess.

\---

“Who is on your team?” Tenzo stood in the kitchen, an apron around his waist as he wiped down the counters. It had become more of a ritual recently, Kakashi would return from a mission and he would cook a meal for him and Tenzo before his friend then cleaned the kitchen. The apron was a nice touch and made Kakashi smile under his mask. 

Kakashi didn’t remember getting a wife, but knew that Tenzo would hit him if he pointed it out. The dark haired ANBU was developing a really mean temper when it came to Kakashi’s jokes. 

“Stop your worrying.” Kakashi sighed as he unraveled to scroll to actually see who was supposed to be on the mission with him. “It’s a bait and trap mission, the fact that I have three other team members is just because it’s the daim--”

Kakashi blinked. 

He blinked again, slightly slower to see if the images would change and when they didn’t he thought about lifting up his headband to see if there was any jutsu on the scroll that was just making him see things. He didn’t react, knew that his body was still slouched in a bored sprawl in his chair but he must have been still for a moment too long because Tenzo was looking at him. 

“Did you get that guy you don’t like again?” Tenzo asked as he started to make his way over. “This is why you should just stick with ANBU missions, you know that Yugao and I would--”

Tenzo paused as he glanced at the scroll before turning to Kakashi. “Umino Iruka, Yuuhi Kurenai, and Might Gai. Interesting team.”

“Gai will love this.” Kakashi agreed. “I’ve worked with Kurenai before but it was some time ago. I have never worked with Iruka.”

“To his knowledge, you mean.” Tenzo made a motion in front of his face that looked a lot like pulling an ANBU mask on.

Kakashi didn’t respond to that, instead he read up on the rest of the mission. There had been threats against the Daimyo and his son and his son’s soon-to-be wife for a while but it looked like they had finally gotten to the point where someone was taking it seriously. The bride-to-be had been poisoned, and while she was fine now, the Daimyo wanted to have the matter settled and fast. 

Kurenai was going to be posing as the fiance, something that Kakashi knew she was going to hate but she at least had enough similar qualities that she wasn’t going to have to henge the whole time. That always ended up being more a chakra drain than anyone ever prepared for so it was for the best if they could avoid it on a mission where they might be ambushed. 

Iruka was going to be her attendant. He was young enough to not feel threatening to the room at large and Kakashi knew that they were banking on his previous learned skills to be able to help Kurenai entertain a court with tea and idle conversation. 

It wasn’t that Kakashi was excited to work with Iruka, officially work with Iruka that was, but he did find himself looking forward to seeing what the chunin could do. Iruka had been quiet for a few months but the teen had just needed time and was now returning to the smiling chunin that everyone had gotten used to. At the last gathering, Kakashi had even had a small conversation with the teen. 

It was pointless and Kakashi didn’t remember what they had talked about...just that it had been nice. 

Kakashi was the Daimyo’s body guard, he had been apparently asked for by name, and so he was meant to make a show of force. Gai would be protecting the son, and hopefully with the four of them scattered they would be able to draw out the enemy. It was a good plan, and Kakashi found himself looking forward to working with this team. He paused when he realized that Tenzo was staring at him.

“Are you jealous that you can’t come on this one?” Kakashi drawled and Tenzo sighed before walking away. 

Kakashi knew that Tenzo was worried about him. His subordinate had been almost unnaturally attentive to Kakashi over the past few weeks but the Copy-nin wasn’t sure why this had started. He didn’t think he had been acting any differently, there had been a few months of back to back ANBU missions, but it hadn’t been anything he couldn’t handle. 

The ANBU captain found himself closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. Sometimes he could still feel the itch under his skin, the darkness that was needed to be part of something like the Foundation and Kakashi wondered if Tenzo knew that Kakashi might be nearing an edge. 

It was a little unsettling. 

“I’m broken, you know.” Kakashi spoke softly, knowing that Tenzo would hear him. The teen turned slightly to let Kakashi know to continue. The silver haired ANBU just sighed before he went on. “I’m saying that you shouldn’t worry about me. I’m already broken. You should focus on yourself.”

Tenzo seemed to think about it for a few seconds before he went back to the kitchen. 

Kakashi took the silence as the dismal that it was. 

\---

Gai watched his team with a smile. Kurenai was sleeping against his shoulder, taking a quick nap while the rest of the team set up camp. Gai was supposed to be getting a bit of shut eye as well but he couldn’t fight the extra energy that had been burning under his skin as he had left the village with this group. 

Kakashi had already returned from scouting the area and was currently showing Iruka a tree that was used by many Leaf jonin used as storage place and first aide stand in case the injured weren’t able to make it back to the village. 

“And there more of these spread in the forest?” Iruka was staring at the tree with pride, like he was genuinely proud that the crazy jonin of the village had started their unofficial emergency stands. 

Gai felt his eyes turn to his rival and was surprised to see Kakashi staring at Iruka. His posture was laid back and his visible eye seemed bored with the whole conversation but Gai noticed how Kakashi’s eyes didn’t leave Iruka’s face, even when he pointed to something on the tree. The Green Beast frowned as he watched the two interact, it was nice that his rival was trying to bond with one of their teammates. 

He hadn’t seen Kakashi do that in such a long time. 

It was nice.

\---

Iruka didn’t know what was happening but...he was okay with it. 

The trip to the daimyo’s had been the slow, they were meant to look like normal mission, no need to rush or anything. They were only a few hours away from the capitol and Iruka found himself once again in a conversation with Kakashi. Kakashi, the captain of their team. Kakashi who had already been larger than life before Iruka had even made it to the academy. Kakashi, the kid that Kushina would drag with her despite his obvious annoyance. 

He was Rin’s and Obito’s Kakashi. 

“You must have gotten used to leading your own mission, now that you’re a chunin.” Kakashi’s voice was flat, he never sounded more or less interested in anything but Iruka didn’t mind. Kakashi had already showed Iruka some things along the way that would be super helpful for future missions in the fire country. 

“Ah…” Iruka felt his face heat up, cursed his constant blushing when he noticed Kurenai give him a look before he turned to Kakashi. “I’ve gotten to lead some missions. I must say that my missions as a chunin have been far more interesting than as a genin.”

Iruka bit his lip at that, quickly realizing that he was belittling his previous missions. Not many genin got to go on extended missions and he didn’t want to seem like he was above it all. He opened his mouth to explain himself but Kakashi just curved his eye at him. 

“They’ll only get more interesting if you become a jonin.” Kakashi turned his attention back to the road and Iruka felt laughter escaping his lips. Iruka blushed as he suddenly had Kurenai and Gai’s attention as well. 

“Jonin are crazy, I’m not sure I want to be associated with that group.” Iruka rubbed his scar before he smiled at Kurenai who was the fellow chunin on the journey. “I’ve heard stories.”

“Hey now--” Gai started. 

“Smart.” Kurenai hit Iruka in the shoulder before she pulled Iruka further so that he was walking next to her. “Most of the stories are true.”

Iruka smiled at that and turned to see Kakashi walking boredly behind the group now. Iruka felt warm as he leaned against Kurenai and they listened to Gai defend the sanctity of all jonin. 

\---

“If he touches my arm on more time--”

“You will smile and blush like the shy bride you are.” Iruka interrupted Kurenai’s threat. He was brushing her hair, and then he rolled it up into a nice updo for the feast that was going to take place that afternoon. Iruka took the flowers that Kurenai was handing him as he continued working on her hair. “The festival is almost over, so don’t worry. If we can’t find the threat here then we’ll just have to do another approach.”

“I don’t like it.” Kurenai seethed and Iruka found himself smiling at her. “I might stab him if he goes for anything other than my arm.”

“Then we would have to arrest you for being the threat.” Kakashi drawled from the slouch that he was in. His ever present book in his hands. 

Iruka hated that book. 

“The perimeter is clear. We’ve gotten help from the Guardian Twe--” Gai went silent at the glare that Kakashi and Kurenai sent his way and Iruka sighed. 

When they had shown up to the Daimyo’s home to going over the mission, it had seemed simple enough until a familiar face had let himself be known. To say that Kurenai had not been happy to see Asuma would be a huge understatement. Iruka had frozen under the killing intent coming from Kurenai, and it wasn’t until Gai had broken the tension that they had been able to move forward. 

Iruka hadn’t seen Asuma since. 

“It’s about time.” Kakashi stated boredly, rolling to his feet with enough grace to make a cat jealous. Iruka found himself staring and glanced away only to see Kurenai studying him in the mirror. Iruka just gave her a smile as he took a step back from her hair. 

“You look beautiful.” Iruka grinned and Kurenai rolled her eyes even though she was pleased. 

“I’ll go first, Kurenai and Iruka will be next, and then Gai at the rear. It’s short walk but there are a lot of blind spots so be careful.” Kakashi’s book was gone, most likely in his vest, and then he was out of the room. 

Kurenai stood, her kimono highlighting her elegance as she made her way to the door. Iruka blushed as he realized he had been staring at her as well and found himself straightening his own kimono, a simple design that was meant to let him hide in the shadows, before chasing after her. He heard Gai shouting after him but didn’t hear what the man said as the door shut behind them. 

“I hope this is over soon.” Kurenai whispered under her breath and Iruka smiled at her. He kept his place, a few steps behind her and spoke softly enough that only she would hear him. 

“It’s not all bad.” Iruka glanced at her ears, watching as they slightly pinked as she realized he had been referring to Asuma. Iruka smirked. “You should talk to him before we leave.”

“I have nothing to say.” Kurenai hummed. Iruka imagined she was pouting and had to hold back so that he wasn’t rolling his eyes. 

Iruka felt a sharp burst of chakra before he grabbed Kurenai’s wrist and pulled her down just as the building they had walked out of exploded. Iruka and Kurenai went rolling against the ground before they slid along the river, both of them using their chakra to make sure the didn’t fall in as the steadied themselves. Kurenai was already making signs as she caught sight of their attacker and Iruka held his kunai at the ready. 

He only took a second to mourn Kurenai’s kimono, ripped at the bottom in their fall but it seemed Kurenai was happy to have the movement given back to her. 

Iruka felt Kurenai disappear next to him and smirked but before he could attack the enemy in front of him there were two hands on his ankles. Iruka barely managed to take a breath before he was pulled under the water, his body suddenly taking a weightless quality to it as he found himself face to face with a rather scaring looking woman with sharp teeth. 

There was a kunai in his shoulder and Iruka found himself cursing his ability to be stabbed by things as they moved through the water. Iruka grabbed his attacker by the throat, barely managing to make the tiger sign before he got the heat in his hands to boil the water around them. 

The woman screamed, kicking Iruka away from her. 

He broke the surface with speed as he went flying in the air. He was able to catch a glimpse of Kurenai standing over the dead body of her opponent while she fought against another assailant. Iruka twisted his body in the air so that he was facing back towards his own attacker as he made signs.

“Katon: Kaen Senpū!” Iruka used his fall to keep his body spinning, sending the fire from his hands before suddenly there was someone behind him. 

“Flying too high, little bird.” The voice was like gravel and Iruka released his fire jutsu just in time to block his new attacker’s short sword. The man seemed to smiled viciously as he kicked Iruka in the stomach to send him back in the water. 

Iruka let himself get emerged in the water as he started doing seals. He hadn’t had as much time to train with his water element as he had with fire but he was going to make it work. He made it back to the surface, jumping to his feet as he made the last sign. “Suiton: Naminorigeki!”

Waves formed from beneath him, heading towards the three opponents that he could see in the distance but they started dying out and Iruka cursed. He didn’t have enough control on this to do real damage but he was able to distract them enough to let Kurenai put more space between herself and the other men. 

Iruka faltered, going down to one knee before he realized he had lost some feeling in the arm that had been stabbed. 

“Iruka! Grab my hand!” Iruka didn’t even hesitate as he threw his arm in the air, glad to hear that Gai hadn’t died in the explosion before he was suddenly thrown in the air. Iruka flailed a bit as he tried to get some balanced before suddenly Kakashi was in front of him with a smile. 

“Thanks for this!” Kakashi slipped something into Iruka’s vest before using Iruka to pushed off of as his arm crackled with lightning. Iruka managed to use the force to flip onto the walkway happy to be out of the water as Asuma and two other Guardians appeared next to him. 

“You okay?” Asuma was helping Iruka to his feet and Iruka smiled as he steadied himself. He winced when he moved his shoulder and then suddenly glowing hands were holding him still. Once Asuma knew that Iruka was being taken care of, he jumped into the battle himself. 

“It won’t be long.” The woman beside him whispered and Iruka nodded. Kurenai had already taken out two of them, the last three didn’t stand a chance. 

There was another explosion, this time of water, before everything finally settled and everyone came back to the walkway with a body under their arms, except Kurenai who was leaning heavily on Asuma. The smoking man whispering something to her that had her smiling. 

“We still have to finish the festival.” Iruka reminded his team before anyone forgot the ruse they were putting on for the Daimyo. The whole point had been to show a solid front in front of honored guests while taking care of the problem on the side. 

“The kimono is ruined.” Kurenai glanced down at herself. “I don’t think I have enough chakra to henge through a whole meal.” 

Iruka glanced down at his own outfit and it’s sorry state before he sighed. He paused before he reached into his vest, remembering that Kakashi had slipped something in there, only to pull out a brightly colored book. 

“What?” Iruka felt his face flushing as he turned to his captain. “THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED ME TO PROTECT?” 

“Lower your voice, Iruka.” Kakashi waved off Iruka’s shouting before grabbing the book out of Iruka’s hands. He curved his eye at Iruka in a way that meant he was smiling. “Thank you for keeping it dry.” 

Iruka made a strangling motion with his hands before they heard some shouting and could see other members of the Guardian Twelve heading their way. Kakashi eyed everyone for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “There is no helping it, Iruka will henge as Kurenai for this last meal. Gai, you will be acting as bodyguard while I update the Daimyo.”

“I’ll go through what's left of your rooms with Kurenai, see what can be salvaged.” Asuma volunteered, though the way he was looking at Kurenai made it seem like more than the rooms would be salvaged tonight. 

Iruka waved off the new arrivals before he henge’d into Kurenai. He took a look at his now paler skin and stretched his neck for second to get used to the new hair before he turned to his team. Gai was going over the new instructions with the monk while Asuma and Kurenai started heading towards the burning building. Iruka turned to their captain to see Kakashi staring at him rather intently. 

Iruka blinked. 

Kakashi blinked back. 

“We’ll take the bodies.” The monk interrupted whatever staring contest was about to happen right there and Iruka turned to see Gai smiling at his side. He smiled back before remembering himself and giving Gai a small smile before they made their way to the dinner. 

As they made their way to the table, Iruka managed to keep his eyes down when he needed to and kept his voice low and soft. The Daimyo’s son blinked at him a few times and Iruka was afraid that he had give himself away before the man glanced away with a blush. 

Iruka gave Gai a confused look only to have the green beast lean forward slightly. “You..uh...make a very appealing woman.” 

Gai’s face was red and Iruka knew that his face was as well. He turned his attention back to the table and tried to stick to his best behavior, but things only seemed to get worst as little tricks that Iruka had gotten over the years came out. 

He was pretty sure if he showed his wrist one more time then the Daimyo’s son was going to die of a nosebleed. 

He spotted Kakashi in the distance and saw the captain give them a nod. Iruka smiling slightly as he tried not to be too obvious that he wasn’t Kurenai. The dinner went off with a success, Iruka only have to hold a knife to the Daimyo son’s lap once when he had leaned a little too far into Iruka’s space. 

Iruka let out a breath, already looking forward to celebrating a successful mission. 

He really should have known better. 

\---

“Are you okay?” Iruka had his arm around Kurenai’s waist and the kunoichi sighed. 

“I’m fine, just drained.” Kurenai sighed as she leaned against one of the trees. “Probably shouldn’t have spared with Asuma before we left…”

“You broke his arms...I’m not sure that is sparing.” Iruka reminded her and she didn’t bother to hide her grin. 

“We had some things to work out.” Kurenai let out a yawn before glancing at Kakashi and Gai who had been giving her wide space since the spar that morning. “Are we going to stop for the night or power through?”

Kakashi paused as he glanced at the sky before he turned to his team. His slouch always annoyed Kurenai but she figured she couldn’t say anything since she was only standing with Iruka’s assistance. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders before nodding to his team. “I would like to turn in the report tonight, if we can.”

“I want to sleep in my own bed.” Iruka smiled at Kurenai. “Don’t worry, you’re not that heavy.” 

Kurenai felt a headache forming as she turned to Iruka who just now seemed to be realizing his words. 

Heavy?

\---

 

Yugao paused as she glanced at the most recent bingo books that they had found off of their marks that morning. They had been easy to take down but Yugao and her partner with the cat mask had been spending the rest of the day going through every item the four men had owned. 

“Neko.” Yugao got his attention as she handed him over the book. 

The Cat masked ANBU grabbed the book and pulled it over slowly. He seemed to stare at the page for a long moment before he turned to her. “We need to notify the Hokage.”

Yugao nodded, her Weasel mask hiding her expression. She bit her lip as she tried to hide how nervous she felt at seeing Kakashi’s entry in the bingo book. It wasn’t the fact that he was in there that had been the surprise, but the cost that had been put on his head. 

50 million ryo was worth breaking treaties over, for some villages. 

“He will be fine.” Neko stated calmly. “Let’s go,”

\---

Kakashi was panting as he stared at the men in front of them. He hadn’t had to activate his Sharingan yet but Kakashi knew it was going to happen soon. He turned to look at his team and was not happy with how they were ending up. 

The town had been quiet and Kakashi automatically went on alert. He had given the signal to his team and they had slowed down at the sight of the figure in the center of the street. 

“We only want Hatake Kakashi!” The figure yelled and Kakashi knew this was going to go south fast. 

Especially with Gai. 

There had been yelling, there had been screaming. There had been an emotional display of camaraderie and brutal strength as Gai had almost destroyed the entire town they were in while chasing the first man. The other opponents weren’t as loud but they were definitely prepared. 

Kurenai was unfortunately useless at the moment, she could barely stand on her own and that meant Iruka had to protect the both of them. Kakashi needed to put an end to this quick but he didn’t like the idea of anyone on their own even for a moment. But he had to take out the enemy. 

He just had to do it fast. 

Kakashi lifted his headband and took in the two opponents in front of him. Enjoying how they both took a step back. He could feel the chakra go through his arm as he prepared to end this in as little moves as possible. 

“Iruka!” Kakashi didn’t have time to turn as he took out his first enemy, he ripped his arm out of the man’s chest as he reached for the other one, feeling his arm make contact as he finally turned to see what Kurenai had screamed about. 

There were two kids on the ground, clearly having run from the house that Gai had collapsed as he was fighting the man from the road. The kids were screaming and crying as Iruka ran to get them out of the way. Kakashi found himself running towards the fourth enemy as the attacker realized Iruka’s mistake and was already throwing shuriken towards the youngest member of the team and the children. 

Iruka threw his arms out as he grabbed the kids, pulling them to his chest as he fell to the ground. The first weapon embedded itself in Iruka’s shoulder at the same moment that Kakashi took out the fourth attacker, he hadn’t even remembered moving but the man was dead and that was all that mattered as far as Kakashi was concerned. 

“My opponent is knocked out, we can take him back to the village.” Gai got Kakashi’s attention as the Copy-nin took his arm out of the fourth man before turning his attention to Iruka who was currently trying to cheer up the children despite having 5 small shuriken in his back. 

Kakashi felt his body moving on it’s own as he pulled the teen back. “ARE YOU STUPID?”

Iruka blinked at him in surprise, the children running off in tears at Kakashi’s rage, while Gai when to go check on Kurenai. Kakashi lifted Iruka’s vest a bit so that the teen had to stand on his toes as he glared at him. 

“You never, and I mean never, abandon a comrade in the middle of battle.” Kakashi couldn’t soften the ice in his voice, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to. 

“Kakashi.” Kurenai tried to get his attention but he shook his head. He let go of Iruka, causing the kid to grunt as he tried to center himself again. Iruka looked like he was about to say something but Kakashi silenced him with a glare. It must have been a good one because Iruka had paled slightly before looking at the ground. 

Kakashi flexed his fingers a few times before he turned to Gai. “We are leaving in ten minutes. Make sure everything is ready.” 

Only silenced followed Kakashi as he made his away to the forest. He needed space before he did something stupid. He made it to the trees before biting his thumb and summoning his ninken. 

“Yo, boss.” Pakkun gave Kakashi a wave. 

“I need you guys to scout ahead, also to create a perimeter around my team as we make it back to Konoha. I don’t want anymore surprises.” Kakashi tried to sound bored but he knew he failed when Pakkun stared at him a little too long. The pug nodded before telling the rest of the dogs to scatter. 

“Who pissed you off?” Pakkun didn’t mince words when they were alone and Kakashi couldn’t lie to him so he tried a different tactic. 

Kakashi pulled some bandages from his pouch and gave it for Pakkun to grab. “Take this over to Gai, he’ll know what to do with it.”

Pakkun was clearly not amused but did as he was told. Gai had the team ready by the time Kakashi made his way out of the forest, Iruka helping Kurenai walk in a way which was a good way for the chunin to not lift his head and meet Kakashi’s eyes. Kakashi felt a pang of regret, they had only had a few days of some sort of kinship and Kakashi had already thrown it to the ground. 

“We should be back to the village before nightfall. I’ll do the report so go the hospital if you need to.” Kakashi made sure to nod at Gai, who seemed amused at Kakashi’s behavior, before they took off. 

Some way to end a mission. 

\---

“I’m sorry.” Kurenai turned to see Iruka bowing deeply by her bed in the hospital and she just sighed. 

“Iruka, stop.” She pulled on his ponytail so that he would stop bowing and motioned for him to sit next to her bed in the stool. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“No.” Iruka took a deep breath as he admitted the truth. “Kakashi-san was right. I shouldn’t have left you, I put you in danger when you couldn’t defend yourself and put those children in danger by painting a target on them when they most likely wouldn’t have been noticed in the fighting.”

“Iruka…” Kurenai just shut her eyes as she leaned back against her pillow. She wanted to argue with the teen but knew it was going to be pointless. Iruka was already getting a reputation for being bullheaded and Kurenai didn’t have the energy to deal with it right at this moment. 

She just wanted to sleep. 

“Just promise me that you won’t take it too hard.” Kurenai opened her eyes to smile at Iruka. “I would have done the same thing if you hadn’t, Kakashi might be right but that doesn’t mean that you weren’t brave.”

Iruka blushed lightly at that before he nodded. 

The chunin got to his feet and made his way back to the door before he realized he had one more thing he needed from Kurenai. “Do you know where I can find Kakashi-san?”

“Oh, you don’t want to do that.” Kurenai made sure her voice had a warning tone to it even though Iruka just looked confused. “Iruka, leave him alone. Give it a few days at least.”

“Why?” Iruka was genuinely curious.

“Kakashi is a bit...tough to deal with after a mission.” Kurenai tried. She knew she could say more but decided against it. 

Kakashi’s business was Kakashi’s business. 

Iruka just frowned at that before he nodded and left her room. The chunin biting his lip as he tried to think of the best way to approach Kakashi, if he should really wait a few days or if he should just go find his team leader now. 

Kakashi couldn’t be that bad after missions, could he?

The decision ended up being made for him as Iruka left the hospital. He was going to go to the mission room to see if anyone knew where he could find Kakashi on a normal day to find him later in the week but Kakashi was already there. Iruka paused at the sight of him and had a brief twitch backwards as if he was about to walk out of the room but he forced himself forward. 

He hoped no one saw that. 

“Kakashi-san.” Iruka made his way over the silver haired shinobi. Kakashi seemed to not be waiting for anyone, was just leaning against one of the walls with his book in his hands. He didn’t move when Iruka called him but his eye did flick up when Iruka walked over before it went back to the book. 

Iruka took that as permission to continue. 

“Listen, I wanted to apologize--”

“No.” Kakashi spoke, his voice cool as he turned a page in his book. Iruka’s face went pink. 

“No?” Iruka tried again. “But I’m sorry--”

“If Kurenai had died, would you still be apologizing to me?” Kakashi’s eye was hard as it glanced up at Iruka and the chunin found that all his words died in his throat. Iruka didn’t know what to say to that but it turned out he didn’t have to say anything because Kakashi wasn’t done. “Those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash, remember that.”

Iruka knew that his face was flaming hot at that. It didn’t help that they were in the mission room, that there were people at the desk. 

That the Hokage was also in the room. 

He had never felt so humiliated. 

“Senpai.” An ANBU appeared next to Kakashi and Iruka found the blood leaving his face at the familiar Neko mask. The ANBU didn’t even turn to acknowledge Iruka was there and Kakashi snapped his book shut before sighing and making his way out of the room. 

The ANBU turned to Iruka then and Iruka found himself wanting to run from the room but he couldn’t since Kakashi had just left. He just stood there, his fists clenched before the ANBU vanished. 

It took a few moments before Iruka felt like he was able breath again. 

The room slowly got more noise, people continuing their activities as if they hadn’t just watched what had happened. Iruka shut his eyes before he took another breath and decided it was safe for him to leave the room. He would go home and lick his wounds in privacy, he didn’t need to be part of any more scenes for the day.

\---

“That seemed unnecessary.” Tenzo was quiet as they landed on the roof. 

Kakashi tensed before he grabbed his hair with a groan. Tenzo watched as the older man curled into a squat mumbling to himself for a few moments. 

Tenzo knew that Kakashi had been interested in Iruka for some time. Knew that his senpai had been wanting to get to know the other teen more. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been so hard for someone to get to know someone like Iruka but Kakashi was different. 

Kakashi was weird. 

Tenzo decided to try again. “I think you--”

“I’ll fix it when I get back.” Kakashi growled before he glared at Tenzo through his hands. “We have another mission, right?”

Tenzo nodded and he gave Kakashi a few moments to straighten himself out before they took off again. He kept his eye on Kakashi’s face for a few moments before he put some more space between them. Kakashi had been running missions back to back for a while now and Tenzo was wondering if maybe he should ask his captain to take a break. 

“I can already hear your nagging.” Kakashi sighed as they landed near the headquarters. He gave Tenzo a bored glance. “I already said that I’ll fix it.”

Tenzo just stared at Kakashi blankly, knowing how his captain hated that. Kakashi just huffed and made his way inside, Tenzo close on his heels. 

After this mission Tenzo would ask Kakashi to take a break.

After this mission Tenzo would fix things. 

\---

Gai stared at his rival’s still form. 

He had managed to move Kakashi from the hospital before his rival had woken up and hoped that Kakashi would respond better waking up in his own room instead of the hospital wing. No one wanted a repeat of the broken windows in the west wing again. 

It had been another damn ANBU mission. 

Gai found himself frowning. 

It was always going to be some damn ANBU mission when it came to Kakashi, wasn’t it? The Green Beast sighed as he sat back. 

Something needed to change. 

\---

“Hey, stranger.” Iruka glanced up from his place at the mission desk to see Anko and Hayate smiling at him. 

“Hey.” Iruka replied gumly. 

“Are you still moping because of that jerk?” Anko groaned as she laid across the table. She glared at Iruka with a pout. “Really?”

“I’m not moping.” Iruka responded primly as he started packing up his stuff. He paused as he signed out of the desk and stepped between his two friends. “And Kakashi-san isn’t a jerk. He’s a highly respected shinobi of Konoha.”

“Kakashi-san?” Hayate coughed. “You only get manners when you’re mad or if they’re old.”

“I’m not mad.” Iruka sighed before he took a breath and smiled at his friends. “So what’s our mission? You said it was in the village?”

Anko groaned at that, and Hayate just rolled his eyes before he pointed them in the direction of the academy. “We’re helping a class of students.”

“Oh?” Iruka perked up at that with a smile. Anko groaned even louder and he didn’t turn to her as he grabbed Hayate’s arm and started dragging his teammate to the school. “Is Yoshino-sensei still teaching?”

“Why are you so excited to be surrounded by snotty brats?” Anko mad a hand gesture that could have been her strangling someone or shivering, they were both very similar when it came to Anko. “They’re loud and--”

“You’re louder.” Iruka laughed before they made it to the school to see Yoshino-sensei waving them over. 

“You made it!” Yoshino laughed as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Her class was all running around in the training ground and Iruka smiled as he watched the trying to show each other their “special movies”.

Oh, to be young. 

“I’m teaching my class about chakra and chakra control today. They’re still young to really have any control but I wanted to see if we could get them started on good practices.” Yoshino explained before she smiled at Iruka. “I asked for help because sometimes things can get explosive, I’m sure each of your remember.” 

Iruka blushed at that as Anko and Hayate laughed. 

It wasn’t Iruka’s fault that the ground had exploded beneath him when he had first tried to control his chakra. 

It really wasn’t. 

With the four of them they were able to divide the kids into smaller groups and Iruka smiled the three in front of him. The Hyuga was frowning at him, the girl with the buns was smiling brightly, and the kid with the eyebrows was doing push ups. 

Iruka figured he had his work cut out for him. 

It would be years later before Iruka would ever acknowledge this day happened, and it would be longer before he would ever admit how the tree next to his group at exploded and ended up on the roof to the school. It would be longer still before he admitted to possibly goading the children on. 

“You’re really good with kids.” Anko fell on next to Iruka as they watched the children run back into the school. Hayate was still helping Iruka get the leaves out of his hair. 

“Of course.” Iruka smiled like it was actually that simple. Anko blinked at him and Iruka blushed a little before he turned away from her to smile at the building. “I love kids.”

“They represent the future, and in a way the hope that I have for the future.” Iruka continued, trying to keep his blush for getting too bad. “It’s like the Hokage’s Will of Fire. I always wanted to be part of a big family, maybe have a giant family of my own, but I don’t need it because at the end of the day the village is my family. These kids are my kids, they’re my little brothers and sisters, and I like to think that I can be a good example for them.”

“Not if you’re blowing up trees.” Hayate grumbled as he pulled the last branch out. “Not even sure how you did this.”

“Did what?” Iruka asked with false innocence before he sighed and turned back to Anko. “I envy the Hokage and his Will of Fire, and everyone else who found their’s.”

Anko blinked at that, glancing back at the school and then Iruka. “Why? It’s clear that you know what yours is.”

Iruka blinked slowly at that before he turned back to the school. They sat there for a few more moments in silence before Iruka smiled softly. 

Maybe. 

\---

There was blood dripping down her lips. 

Kakashi stared at the woman in front of him, unsure of what had just happened. He hadn’t meant to kill her. 

He hadn’t--

“Senpai!” Tenzo was there in his Neko mask and Kakashi felt the teen pull him back so that he could separate his arm from the woman’s corpse. “Are you okay?”

Kakashi heard a sound and watched as a blade dropped from the corpse’s hands when she hit the ground. The blade...that had been the light he had seen in the corner of his eye. 

He had killed her purely on instinct. 

“Senpai…” Tenzo tried again and Kakashi found himself straightening out. 

“I’m fine.” Kakashi barked before he bit his thumb and summoned the ninken. There was going to be a lot of cleanup needed on this mission and they were going to need all the help they could get to get out of this town without any issues. 

Pakkun was not going to be happy. 

\---

“It won’t be that bad.” 

Teuchi turned to the group to see his three most regular customers huddled together. Iruka was clearly upset about something, instead of slurping up his noodles he was poking at them with his chopsticks while glaring at the scroll that was next to his bowl. 

Anko and Hayate, Iruka’s usual companions were huddled on either side of him. Anko slurping her food like there was nothing wrong in the world while Hayate was poking Iruka in the face with his chopsticks. 

It made a funny sight. 

“Something wrong, Iruka-kun?” Teuchi smiled brightly at this three customers. “Why don’t you tell an old man your worries?”

“You’re not that old, Teuchi-san.” Iruka smiled, as Anko whispered something rude that Teuchi chose to ignore. Iruka poked his noodles a few more times before letting out a breath. “It’s nothing, I just got put on a mission with a leader who does not like me.”

“I still think that you’re asking too much for someone like Sharingan Kakashi to like you. The man’s a robot, a killing machine.” Anko slurped her noodles almost rudely as she talked before pointing her chopsticks at Teuchi. “Shinobi would never let anything like petty difference get in the way of the mission, right, old man?” 

“Anko, you shouldn’t talk like that.” Hayate coughed before sipping his tea. He sighed a bit before he put his cup down. “The only reason people speak poorly of him is because they know they will never be at his level.”

Anko stuck out her tongue at that, and Hayate turned to his noodles and started eating. Iruka just rolled his eyes at both of his friends before turning to Teuchi with a small smile. “Sorry, Teuchi-san, it’s most likely just pre-mission jitters.” 

“Well then…” Teuchi put his hand on his chin as he gave Iruka a look. “I don’t have any advice for that but I’ll let you have this bowl on the house as luck.”

“You don’t have to--” Iruka blushed as he smiled at the cook. 

“What about me, old man? I have a mission, too!” Anko smiled before sighing when Teuchi just glared at her. She mumbled something about his age again and he just turned his attention back to Iruka with a smile. 

“It’ll be fine, Iruka-kun. Just to your best.” Teuchi smiled before the cloth lifted at the entrance and he turned to greet his next customer. 

He didn’t listen to what happened to the conversation after that but when the three had left he was happy to three empty bowls up on the shelf with a small thank you written on a piece of napkin. 

Teuchi huffed with a fond smile.

\---

“Fear me! HAHAHA!” The toddler squealed as he chased after Iruka on the street. 

“Konohamaru!” Iruka laughed as he made sure to stay just out of the kid’s reach. “What are your parents teaching you?”

Konohamaru just let out a cackle that was still too cute to be feared, especially as his little fists still couldn’t reach the chunin’s legs. Iruka had agreed to pick up Konohamaru from the Sarutobi estate after his last shift at the mission desk. He had only agreed because he knew if he didn’t then he would end up grabbing drinks with Anko again and make a poor decision...again. Iruka shook his head, he didn’t need to be thinking about these things when he had a mission tomorrow. 

A mission with Hatake Kakashi as his leader. 

“I hear you’re on a mission with the friend killer.” Iruka froze at those words before he felt an arm go around his shoulders. Konohamaru grabbed Iruka’s legs but was frowning, clearly not happy that he hadn’t caught Iruka on his own. 

“Don’t say those things, Mizuki.” Iruka hissed at his friend as he pushed Mizuki’s arm off him. Mizuki just shrugged with a smirk before he waved at Konohamaru. 

“Why don’t you go say hey to Ayame real quick, Konohamaru-kun?” Iruka smiled at the three year old who pouted but then saw Ayame waving at their group and took off in a clumsy run towards her. Iruka waiting for Konohamaru to be with Ayame before he turned his attention at the other chunin. “Why would you say that?”

“What?” Mizuki seemed confused, and that almost worried Iruka more. “It’s the truth, I know you’ve heard the stories. We all have.”

“That’s not the--” Iruka sighed. 

“I thought you didn’t like the guy.” Mizuki pouted a bit, before he sighed. “You don’t need to be so defensive.”

Iruka tightened his jaw at that. It probably hadn’t helped that he had actively been avoiding Kakashi whenever he saw the jonin. To the point where Iruka had snuck out of the mission room window, though he was still sure that Kakashi hadn’t even noticed him despite the knowing looks he had gotten from Hayate. 

“I think he deserves our respect.” Iruka was mad about how soft his voice was before he pulled on his ponytail and glared at Mizuki. “He’s an elite shinobi of Konoha.” 

Mizuki just sighed before he pat Iruka on the shoulder. “You’re right, you’re right. My bad, I wouldn’t want anyone calling me these things. I’m sorry.”

Iruka waved him off and started making his way to the Ichiraku to grab Konohamaru. 

Kakashi had always been around, as far back as Iruka could remember he had been in the background. Kakashi had been on Team Minato, Kakashi’s team had saved his parents, Kakashi had let a snot nose kid play games with him in a hospital. 

It was kind of hard to compare his memories of Kakashi to the Kakashi now. 

“Iruka! Iruka!” Konohamaru launched at Iruka and the chunin side stepped just in time to be out of reach. “No fair!” 

“Let’s get you home.” Iruka laughed as he ruffled the kid’s hair. 

He still had a mission to pack for. 

\---

Kakashi was an idiot. 

He stared at his team from a distance as they all chatted at the front gate and felt himself sigh at the sight of Iruka laughing at something Ibiki said. Why had he agreed to take another 4-man squad mission? 

It had been months since the last time Kakashi had seen Iruka, due to the nature of his ANBU missions. He hadn’t been actively avoiding places he would possibly run into Iruka, no matter what kind of looks Tenzo would send his way. 

Annoying subordinate. 

“Kakashi-taicho.” Kakashi gave Ibiki a nod before he turned to the other two members of his squad. He had never worked with Tsubaki before but he remembered her from Anko’s gatherings, she was quiet but she seemed capable. To his surprise Iruka lifted his hand out between the both of them with a small smile. 

“It’s good to work with you again, captain.” Iruka was clearly nervous about how Kakashi was going to react and the jonin blinked slowly before grabbing Iruka’s hand and shaking it once with a firm grip. 

Was this an olive branch? Why would Iruka be giving him an olive branch after he had been so harsh after their last mission. Kakashi could hear Gai’s voice in the back of his head explaining something about comradery and he could almost feel Tenzo’s disapproving gaze on the back of his head even though he knew that the ANBU was away on a mission. The silver haired jonin had a brief moment to think about how warm Iruka was before he let his fingers brush against Iruka’s as they let their hands drop. 

It was all he could offer as an apology and judging by the pink of Iruka’s cheeks, it might have been heard. Ibiki was giving Kakashi a look that told the other man that he had noticed something happening even if he didn’t quite understand it and Tsubaki was already checking out at the guard booth so it seemed she missed the whole interaction. 

Kakashi figured he would deal with Ibiki later. 

The mission was a relatively easy one, they were tracking a person of interest for the Hokage himself that was said to be in the Land of Spindrifts. There was belief that another group would also be looking for the target and so they were going to be trying several different approaches to gaining trust in the main city. 

Approach One: Ibiki and Kakashi were going to act as thugs for hire, since the small country was currently suffering from a minor skirmishes from small clans. It being on the border of Suna also meant that Konoha would most likely not be welcomed there. Kakashi and Ibiki would insert themselves in the shadows and see what fell out. 

Approach Two: Iruka and Tsubaki were to impersonate a traveling pair, newlyweds if they were able to pass Ibiki’s judgement. Ibiki had made it clear that he would only approve their cover he if felt that he could be fooled by it, but Kakashi was already having a hard time picturing them as not a couple. 

He stomach felt heavy every time Tsubaki would lean into Iruka with a smile but the older man would just frown and ignore it. 

If the first two approaches failed then Ibiki was going to out himself as a Shinobi and be captured. It was said that he got his best information when the enemy thought they were interrogating him, even if it turned out to be the opposite. Kakashi wanted to avoid this third option because he did not like the idea of losing his teammate, for however briefly, but he knew that the only way to avoid it was to get in and out as fast as possible. 

It would would take 4 days to get the to Land of Spindrifts without running and full power, but for some reason the days seemed to blur into each other and they were already a day away. Kakashi tapped the tree he landed on with his feet to tell everyone that they were stopping for the day and to set up camp. He stayed in the tree for a few more moments before he made his way down. 

“You can smell the ocean.” Iruka sighed as he threw his back on the ground and proceeded to use it as a pillow as he fell on the ground after it. 

“You like the ocean, Iruka?” Tsubaki smiled as she kicked his feet out of the way before laying her pack on the ground more gently. 

“I love it.” Iruka smiled with his eyes closed.

“That’s right, you spend a few years on the coast when you were a genin.” Ibiki pulled out some rations from his pack and then Tsubaki joined him to start preparing a small meal. It wouldn’t be anything special but it would be better than anything Iruka would have inevitably burned. 

Kakashi tried not to find that endearing. 

“That’s so cool.” Tsubaki turned to Kakashi with a small smile, she was constantly trying to get him to join the conversation. “What about you, captain? Do you like the ocean?”

Kakashi shrugged and tried not to be bothered by her slump or how Iruka was frowning. He let out a sigh before he made his way over to the group. “I imagine Uzutoshi was the kind of city to make you fall in love with any location, so I probably am not as fond of the ocean as Iruka.” 

“Uzutoshi?” Tsubaki mouthed the word as if she hadn’t heard it before and Kakashi found himself blinking before he turned to see Iruka staring at him with wide eyes. 

Shit. 

He wasn’t supposed to know the specifics of Iruka’s mission, let alone the town that it had been in. The town that had been destroyed four years ago in a wave of fire. Ibiki was giving Kakashi a disapproving look and the captain just accepted it. 

“How do you--” Iruka started before he stopped and closed his mouth with a snap. The chunin seemed to be arguing with himself mentally, thankfully Kakashi already knew how to end the conversation. 

“I’m taking first watch, then Tsubaki, then Ibiki, and Iruka will have last.” Kakashi waited for them all to nod before he vanished in the trees. 

When they made it to the town, Kakashi was almost relieved with how disorganized the town seemed to be. It couldn’t decide if it was a town on the rise or in a downfall, and that meant that all sorts were running around and it wouldn’t seem weird for all type to be found. 

Sadly, as easy as it was to get into the town...their mission took a turn for the worse. 

“What do you mean he’s dead?” Kakashi tried to keep the growl out of his voice as Ibiki walked out of the bathroom, wiping someone’s blood of his hands. 

“Dead.” Ibiki snipped, giving Kakashi a bored glare. It was one of the reason’s that Kakashi liked Ibiki, the man never seemed to react to anything. “We also got company, apparently Suna was also sent here to collect the target but the old man bit off his tongue before he let them take him. They’ve been hanging around, hoping for another prize.”

“You think they know that other villages would send people over?” Kakashi wasn’t seriously asking, but it was nice that Ibiki nodded. “Level?”

“Three man squad, all jonin.” Ibiki tied on slid his gloves back on before he eyed Kakashi. “Orders?”

Kakashi sat back against the wall and thought about it. He hadn’t seen Tsubaki in action but from what he understood she was capable and reliable, most likely nothing special but she wouldn’t be the first to not make it past chunin. Iruka was more skilled and was good at thinking on his feet, but Kakashi didn’t think the teen could hold up against an unknown jonin.

He found himself shaking his head. “Head back and report.”

“I’ll handle clean up on our end.” Ibiki threw his jacket on despite the warm weather. Kakashi smirked under his mask at that, he hadn’t left a mark to clean up but judging by the blood that Ibiki had originally been covered in when he showed up...there was quite a mess somewhere. 

“I will inform the couple that their honeymoon is over.” Kakashi got to his feet and did one quick glance around the room before popping his neck. “Meet at location C in three hours.” 

Ibiki was gone in a puff of smoke. Kakashi always liked working with the efficient bastard, and he appreciated more when he didn’t have to hear screams in the background.

It didn’t take long to find Tsubaki and Iruka, both were running around the shopping district like a couple of tourists, yelling in excitement about every little thing. Kakashi took a moment to appreciate how well they worked together, somehow both always having view of the street at all times, positioning each other in ways that might appear to be an embrace but Kakashi knew the were watching each other’s backs. 

“Ruru!” Tsubaki giggled as he kissed Iruka’s cheek, his face still flushing as she called him the petname that Ibiki had come up with. Kakashi found himself smiling despite himself at how pink Iruka had gotten. “I wanna go here!”

“Tsubaki…” Iruka sighed before he smiled at her softly and gave her a nod. “Just don’t go crazy, I’ll stay out here for a bit. Enjoy the fresh air.”

Tsubaki grinned at him again, pulling on his ponytail before she took off down towards the store that she had been pointing at. It looked like a dessert shop but Kakashi didn’t have to give it much thought as Iruka glanced in his direction before walking into the alley, the teen was holding cigarettes and appeared to be hiding his bad habit from his new wife. 

It wasn’t a bad cover. 

“Do you actually smoke?” Kakashi asked as he appeared beside the teen. Iruka was holding the cigarette in his hand, had already lit it, but wasn’t not actually smoking it. Iruka just made a face that reminded Kakashi of smelling something bad as he shook his head. 

“No, and you shouldn’t either.” Iruka’s voice was somehow stern and Kakashi felt that it suited him. “Smoking is bad for you.” 

“So is being a shinobi.” Kakashi just shrugged before he leaned into Iruka’s space. The teen froze, his eyes remaining on the entryway to the alley but the rest of his body stood rigid. “We are leaving. Location C, three hours.” 

Iruka didn’t ask any questions just nodded before he took a large step back and threw his cigarette on the ground. He made sure have his eyes meet Kakashi’s before he left and Kakashi found himself watching as the figure disappeared in back into the busy street. 

If only their evacuation had gone as easy as their infiltration. 

“How the hell did you get stabbed?” Ibiki didn’t even bother to respond to Kakashi’s very important question, he just laid on the ground with a sword going through him as if bleeding out was a favorite hobby of his. 

After this mission, Kakashi was going to start some rumors. 

Ibiki would thank him later. 

“Where are the other two?” Ibiki gripped one end of the sword and hissed. He seemed to be figuring out the best way to pull it out and Kakashi didn’t know if he should yell at him or not but his direction turned to the large explosion that wasn’t too far away. He swore under his breath before he did the only sensible thing and summoned his ninken. 

“Yo,” Pakkun lifted his paw, the rest of the dogs staring at Kakashi with excitement. 

It had been a while. 

Maybe he hadn’t wanted to see Pakkun’s judgemental face after the last summons.

“I need four of you with this guy, make sure he doesn’t die.” Kakashi nodded towards the smoke. “The rest of you with me.” 

Kakashi didn’t falter when Pakkun landed on his shoulder and he found himself smirking at that. It had only taken almost two decades but he was finally a stable perch for his favorite Pug. “Don’t worry, Akino will make sure your friends lives.” 

“Can you tell how the other’s are doing?” Kakashi only made it halfway to the smoke before he saw a rather familiar figure flying up in the air. Both Pakkun and Kakashi watched as Iruka seemed to climb higher into the clouds before he stopped spinning and started falling. 

“Part bird?” Pakkun asked and Kakashi had a joke on the tip of his tongue before suddenly Tsubaki was in front of him. 

“Iruka will explain!” Was all she shouted before suddenly she was swinging Kakashi into the air. Pakkun crawling into his vest to so that he wouldn’t fall off. 

It was a little odd, being thrown by such a tiny woman. Granted, Kakashi thought briefly of blond hair and a bad temper, kunoichi tended to be stronger than most the men Kakashi knew. He was able to turn his body so that he could see himself approaching Iruka and the teen grabbed him before he could pass. 

“There you are!” Iruka was smiling, his hair flying around his face as the spun in the hair for a few moments. “There are only two left, Ibiki managed to poison the man who stabbed him but the other two aren’t going down so easy.”

They were falling faster now and Iruka moved so that he was in front of Kakashi, his feet planted on Kakashi’s chest while he gripped the jonin’s vest. “The plan?”

“Tsubaki is setting up part of the trap, I need you take these tags and and when I launch off you, I need you to set them off in those four locations at the same time.” Iruka motioned towards the burning trees they were about to land in the center of. 

“And you?” Kakashi started but Iruka just smirked at him and he was kicking off of Kakashi. Iruka gave him the signal for trust and Kakashi want to argue but knew that he couldn’t, he had already been waylaid in the village so he had shown up to the fight late. He needed to trust his team. The older man watched how the teen moved, his body all grace and intent. 

He was beautiful. 

“Prepare for landing!” Pakkun shouted in Kakashi’s ear and the jonin grabbed onto the first branch his hands made contact with, using his momentum to flip himself towards the ground as he made clones. He made three clones before his feet even touched the dirt and found the tags in his vest before handing them out. 

He had a feeling that Iruka was on a short time limit. 

It didn’t take long to find his burning tree and Kakashi placed the tag on it and waited for signal from his clones. He made sure it was clear before he made his way up the tree next to it, glad that the wind was in his favor so that he could see what was happening. 

He wasn’t disappointed. 

Iruka was in a hand to hand fight with another man that was twice his size. The sand-nin clearly trying to overpower his younger opponent but Iruka was always just out of reach. Anytime things got too close then suddenly Tsubaki would be there, grabbing Iruka and tossing him out of the way before she was gone again. 

Kakashi found himself lifting his headband to watch the fight. There was a plan coming together and he wanted to make sure that Obito saw it. 

“Now, Kakashi!” Pakkun shouted again and Kakashi released the seal and found himself torn between impressed and dumbfounded all the trees in the perimeter that Iruka set went flat. 

“Pakkun…” Kakashi started but the pug was already jumping off his shoulder. 

“This way.” The bossy pug shouted and Kakashi made his way down as his Sharingan watched the chakra that destroyed the trees slowly disappear. Thankfully they didn’t have to go far before Kakashi found the center of the destruction with one Iruka panting on the ground and one very happy Tsubaki standing over two unconscious men. 

Kakashi walked a few steps before he put his hands on his hips. The two chunin tensing slightly at his posture before Kakashi let his eye curve. “I underestimated both of you.”

Both Iruka and Tsubaki smiled at that and Kakashi found himself turning away before looking at Pakkun. “Do you think Bull can bring Ibiki here? We should take these two with us.”

Pakkun rolled his eyes before he took off without a word and Kakashi narrowed his eyes at where the pug had been, wondering what put the dog in a mood before he remembered being tossed in the air. That’s right, Pakkun didn’t like heights. 

“Once Ibiki has sealed these two, we need to head back and fast.” Kakashi turned back to the teens, giving them a nod. “Great work.”

“Yes!” Tsubaki shouted before she put her hand infront of her mouth in embarrassment and turned away. “I mean, thank you.”

Iruka laughed at her for a bit and Kakashi found himself watching the fondness in Iruka’s eyes. The teen was still smiling when he turned to Kakashi and the emotion changed to surprise as he found himself under Kakashi’s scrutiny. 

Kakashi gave him a nod and he tried to ignore the pleased feeling he got when the teen blushed and looked away. 

This mission had definitely been a success, as far as Kakashi was concerned. 

\---

“You know…” Iruka paused as he sat across from Kakashi at the fire two days later. They finally had to stop before the whole team collapsed but Kakashi was keeping two people awake at every shift, just in case the Suna came after them. 

“Hm?” Kakashi blinked at his teammate. Ibiki was snoring to his right and Tsubaki hadn’t moved since her head had hit her pillow. He had been impressed, to be honest. 

“Thank you…” Iruka was looking at the fire before he rubbed the scar across his nose. “For trusting me back there. I know I haven’t done anything to earn it yet but--”

“I trust you.” Kakashi stopped Iruka and watched the chunin blink at him in surprise. 

The silence wasn’t unbearable but Kakashi knew that the air only felt heavy because of their last mission. He steeled himself, trying to remember the person Minato-sensei had always wanted him to be, the person that Kakashi had forgotten about a long time ago. 

“Last time--” Kakashi started before he paused. He couldn’t think of a way to say it that didn’t sound like belittling why he had gotten angry in the first place, or one that didn’t reveal a weakness of his own. 

How do you tell a fellow shinobi that you’re tired of watching your comrades die?

“I learned my lesson last time, I actually wanted to thank you for that.” Iruka smiled slightly when Kakashi’s face whipped up to meet his across the fire. Iruka was still rubbing his scar. “It took me a little while but I finally understood your words.” 

Kakashi blinked and Iruka turned his eyes down so that he was looking at the fire again. 

The jonin desperately wanted Iruka to look up. 

“So...thank you…” Iruka tried again, though his voice was much softer and he still didn’t lift his head. “For then and for now.” 

“Your welcome.” Kakashi whispered back, letting the crackling of the fire fill up the silence. 

Iruka paused before he glanced up again, to see Kakashi still staring at him. He tried to fight the blush on his cheeks and hoped that the fire hid it better as he turned his attention to his surroundings. He briefly found himself thinking of the few times that him and Kakashi had interacted in their lives and found himself smirking to himself. 

This was a step in the right direction, if he wanted the jonin to be his friend. 

\---

“Teuchi-san, you’re not really passionate about this ramen thing, right?” Inoichi sighed into his noodles before giving the older man a pleading look. 

Teuchi didn’t bother to respond, he just kept working on Choza’s next bowl. 

“Inoichi, Teuchi is an artist.” Choza smiled as Teuchi handed him his third bowl. “He is needed here, in Ichiraku, no where else is more important.”

“We’re looking for educators for the future of Konoha.” Shikaku stated boredly. “Getting your son a teacher who can last more than two weeks isn’t important?”

“Still having trouble?” Teuchi asked, genuinely concerned. He knew the blond boy was a bit of a helion around the village but the older man would never forget how those blue eyes had lit up at his first bowl of ramen. 

“Pops!” Ayame called out as she came from the back and was tying her apron. “Oh, InoShikaCho!” 

“We have names, Ayame-chan!” Inoichi pouted as the twelve year old ran over to hug all three men. “Haven’t seen you in a while!”

“Yeah…” Ayame sighed before she turned away from her dad. “Pops is making me go to the civilian school, not like he ever got an education but apparently I have to.”

“Don’t try to get them on your side.” Teuchi warned his daughter and then three men in case they decided they wanted to start something. “Their kids are in school too.” 

Ayame just groaned, something that made her sound a lot like her mom when she hadn’t gotten her way and Teuchi smiled. His daughter just continued to pout as she started to clean the dishes that Teuchi hadn’t gotten to from his lunch rush. 

“So what happened to the last teacher?” Teuchi decided to continue the conversation and all three men frowned. He heard a small mutter of something like arrogance but he just joined them in their sour expressions. 

He really hoped that they found someone soon. 

\---

“Oh, Iruka-sama!” Anko shoved Iruka into the bar as she used a stool so that she could lean over him. “Tell me about all your techniques!” 

Iruka shoved her away with a laugh, enjoying how she flushed when Ibiki was the one to catch her and help her to her feet. “You’re drunk, you should go home.”

“You’re drunk.” Anko accused before she turned to Ibiki with an assessing gaze. Ibiki seemed to be trying to decide if he should step back or stay there but the decision was made as Anko grabbed his arm. “Buy me a drink.”

There was a pause before Ibiki gave a small smile. “Sure.” 

Iruka just rolled his eyes at the two of them before the smiled at the rest of the bar. Hayate and Yugao were in a booth with that weird teen, Tenzo. Kurenai was yelling at Gai for something that had the older man both laughing and blushing as he tried to yell back at her. Genma was egging them both on. 

Iruka watched as Mizuki sad across from Tsubaki at a small time in the middle of the madness. Iruka hadn’t thought they those two had been friends but it seemed Mizuki had been harboring some feelings for Iruka’s most recent teammate. Judging by the light flush on her face, it was most like mutual. 

“You look happy.” Iruka turned his attention to the tall man beside him and found his smile getting bigger as he stared at Kakashi.

“Let me buy you a drink, captain.” Iruka turned to the counter but Kakashi shook his head causing Iruka to pout. “Not celebrating?”

“Not drinking.” Kakashi shrugged. “I’m on call.”

“But you just got back!” Iruka huffed before he took in the ANBU uniform that Kakashi as wearing now and found himself blinking. “Do you ever take a moment to just--enjoy?”

Kakashi tilted his head at that and Iruka was flushing as he ordered another drink for himself. Iruka took a big gulp before he waved his hand at Kakashi. “Let’s pretend that I didn’t just ask you that.” 

Kakashi leaned into Iruka’s space and Iruka suddenly wondered if the man was about to kiss him before Kakashi grabbed the glass of water that the bartender had put down behind the chunin. 

Iruka blushed, blinking quickly and yelling at himself though it seemed like Kakashi hadn’t noticed. Iruka turned around so that his back as against the bar again and he stared out at the crowd. Ebisu was now yelling at Genma about something, holding the man’s senbon needle in the air like a weapon while Izumo and Kotetsu were now across from Tenzo, both clearly trying to get the teen drunk. 

“We should be friends.” Iruka blurted out before he could stop himself as he turned to Kakashi.

Kakashi found himself curving his eye at that, though he was more confused than anything. Iruka stared at him for a few moments before his eyes lit up and Kakashi felt himself turning more towards the chunin. 

“Don’t let him fool you.” Anko was suddenly on Iruka’s side again as she pointed at Kakashi.

“Don’t let who fool who?” Kakashi asked seriously. Anko blinked at that, as if realizing that Kakashi was sober meant that she no longer wanted to finish her thought before she turned to Iruka with a glare. 

“I’m surrounded by fools.” She declared before she disappeared down the hall. Iruka laughed until he saw her wobble and then turned to Kakashi with an apologetic look.

“I should make sure she doesn’t stab someone in line for the restroom again.” Iruka finished his drink before he grabbed Kakashi’s arm. “Stay here.”

Kakashi didn’t say anything cause the chunin was running off and he found himself leaning more comfortably against the bar. He watched his classmates and peers make fools of themselves before he turned his attention to Tenzo who was getting out of his booth as if he hadn’t touched a single drink. The teen made the sign for duty and Kakashi sighed as he started to leave the bar. 

He paused briefly before glancing in the direction that Iruka went. 

The chunin was laughing as he finally shoved Anko in the correct bathroom, apologizing to the group of disgruntled staff that she had harassed while looking for the kunoichi room. Iruka felt warm all over as he stumbled against the wall, he took a deep breath as felt the breeze from the open exit door and let his eyes close for a few moments. 

Only to have fingers covering his eyes as lips pressed against his. Iruka found himself opening at the contact, his high from the day making him giddy as the kiss deepened. The lips that were on his were soft and the kiss was gentle. Iruka found himself groaning into it before suddenly he was being shoved back and Iruka found himself blinking up from the floor. 

What. 

“What?” Iruka croaked as he blinked at the empty hall. There was a flush and suddenly Anko was leaning over him as she opened the door to the bathroom. 

“I’m officially cutting you off.” Anko stated as she reached out to help Iruka off the ground. The teen flushed at that before he made his way to his feet and touched his lips. 

“I think someone just made out with me?” Iruka tried, knowing that he probably didn’t look different but his lips felt like they were on fire. 

Anko just blinked at him again before she sighed. “Well, if you don’t know then they probably did it wrong.” 

Iruka really hated his friends sometimes. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All reviews and kudos are appreciated! Thank you guys for the love so far! 
> 
> See you next Friday!


	9. I Keep Falling, Over and Over Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka saves Kakashi's life, only for Kakashi to save his life in return. Iruka and Kakashi might be friends. Iruka might like Kakashi. It might not be a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! Like usual, all my warnings are at the bottom and a little bit of rambling! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!

\---

“Another B-rank mission?” Iruka paused as he held the scroll in his hand and turned to Kakashi who was standing next to him. The jonin just shrugged while Iruka smiled. 

Iruka wanted to laugh at Kakashi, the jonin had been taking a lot more regular missions recently and while Iruka knew that he was just going where the village needed him, the chunin couldn’t help but feel delighted when they were on a mission together. It had only happened a handful of times so far but Iruka counted each one as a chance to get to know Kakashi better. 

“It says here there is a third?” Iruka asked his friend. 

“Ah, you guys beat me.” Genma rubbed the back of his head. “I’m not late, right?”

Iruka found himself blinking at the two jonin in front of him before glancing at the scroll again. Genma and Kakashi were some of the elite and Iruka...Iruka was Iruka...what was he doing on a mission with these two?

He thought about his last mission when he helped Yoshino-sensei with her class again and then he thought about the Will of Fire conversation that seemed to be all the Hokage could talk about recently. Iruka felt like he knew where his heart was leaning but was unsure if it was the right thing. 

It wasn’t like he had to jump into any decisions any time soon. He had time. 

“You okay?” Genma smiled at Iruka, causing Iruka to blush before he glanced at the scroll again. 

“You guys aren’t a little…” Iruka paused as both men turned to him and he rubbed his scar. Ignoring the knowing look Genma was giving him. “...overqualified for a supply run?” 

“We do whatever the Hokage asks.” Kakashi stated boredly as he stood a little straighter. “We are doing a supply run for two of our comrades that are currently infiltrating the Land of Waterfalls. We should be meeting them 3 days at the border, then we will assist them in whatever they need before we head back.” 

“You got it, captain.” Genma gave Kakashi a salute which Iruka thought looked funny since they both held themselves so loosely. 

Iruka just took a deep breath and tried not to be intimidated by the fact that he was the lowest rank on the mission, and definitely outclassed as far as he was concerned. They traveled in relative silence, getting some chatter when Kakashi called on his ninken again to get them to assist in some hunting when they decided that rabbit might make a nice meal. 

The dogs ended up eating most of it but Iruka didn’t mind because Pakkun had found a home in Iruka’s lap and the chunin couldn’t help but be smitten. 

“That is the third time you’ve sighed...is something on your mind?” Genma sat next to Iruka as they all had their back to a large tree. There were traps set around them to warn them of any movement but so far it had been a pretty slow day. Iruka blinked at the older man before looking down and rubbing his scar. “Iruka, I’ve been working with you since--since that ocean town--I think I can tell when you’re bothered.”

“I didn’t mean to be so obvious.” Iruka murmured before he glanced up just as Kakashi landed next to them from where he had been scouting. 

“Location is secure. We’ll sleep here tonight and then continue the rest of the way tomorrow.” Kakashi gave them a nod before he paused and eyed them both. “Did something--”

“Iruka was just--”

“I’m just--” Iruka and Genma had spoken at the same time before Iruka let out a nervous laugh and sighed. He continued on his own. “I’m happy to be on this mission with you guys but I’ve been having thoughts recently, about my role in the village. I was going to ask Genma if he had ever wondered...about this...stuff…everyone has their Will of Fire but me...I...don’t know...”

Iruka’s voice died out and Kakashi blinked slowly before turning to Genma. The older man seemed amused by Kakashi’s confusion before he turned to his comrades. “A year before the Kyubi, I became a special jonin.”

Iruka looked up from the ground and Genma gave the teen a nod before he continued. “After the fox, I realized that a lot of my choices were based of the times Konoha was in. I was fulfilling the roles that my village needed.”

Kakashi nodded, it made sense. “I became jonin towards the end of the third war.” 

“But you were--” Iruka blinked before turned his attention back to Genma. “Sorry.” 

“During those times, the village needed us to grow and to grow fast.” Genma just shrugged, his senbon going from one side of his mouth to the other. “Now, I think you have freedom to recognize how you can best serve your village versus trying to keep up with what the village needs...I’m not sure if that makes sense.” 

Iruka bit his lip before he nodded slowly. “I think so…”

“You’re really bad at advice.” Kakashi sighed and Genma went pink as he turned to their captain. 

“I don’t see you offering any words of wisdom!” 

Kakashi blinked slowly as he placed his hands in his pockets. He seemed to think on it for a second before turning to Iruka. “Everyone was made for something, you just have to figure out what that is.” 

Genma tsk’d, clearly not impressed but Iruka furrowed his eyebrows. “Made for?”

“I was made for this.” Kakashi motioned at himself, at the area around him as if to say missioned before he shrugged. “I don’t think I am capable of doing anything else.” 

Iruka paused before he nodded. That made sense too, in a different way. But for some reason Kakashi’s words also made Iruka sad. 

The spent the rest of the night throwing their own two cents at each other. Iruka usually with a question that Kakashi and Genma would shrug before offering an opinion to. Kakashi sent his ninken back so that they would stop harassing him before he took first watch. Iruka felt a little silly after sharing with the group but he also felt a little better. The actual supply swap ended up being a cinch. Iruka didn’t see the shinobi that had been undercover, but Kakashi came back looking bored and just shrugged with Iruka asked if they had needed anything else from them. 

Of course, Iruka should have planned for everything to go sideways when Kakashi had stared at him and Genma too long. Iruka paused, turning to their captain before suddenly getting a chill, his kunai in his hand instantly as Genma spat his senbon at the Kakashi imposter. 

There had been a lot of running, swearing, and things exploding after that. 

“Shit!” Iruka dragged Genma under some giant tree roots. The older man was unconscious, having had taken majority of the last explosion to make sure that Iruka had made it out alive. The teen was going to be furious once he was sure Genma would be okay. “Shit.” 

“I don’t...look that bad...right?” Genma ground and then proceeded to go unconscious again. 

Iruka only gave himself a moment to take one deep breath before he threw tags around their hiding spot to help hide their scent and then started stitching Genma up. He wished he new more first aide but he would have to manage and hope that he wasn’t making anything worse. Once he was done he pulled out everything he had from both their packs and took stock. 

Kakashi had told them under no circumstances were they to leave each other’s side but If he stayed with Genma then it meant their captain was most likely getting taken farther away. Iruka bit his lip.

He pulled out an empty scroll and glanced at his teammate. “I’m sorry about this.” Before he sealed Genma inside, he tucked the scroll his his breast pocket, it was going to be the safest place for now before he stocked up all the weapons that he could and took a deep breath. 

He would have to leave their bags behind but at least he wasn’t leaving Genma. He would have to get Genma out of the scroll as soon as possible, he just hoped he didn’t make anything worse in the process. 

“First, get Kakashi.” Iruka nodded as he made his way to the edge of the roots. He could do that and then we would worry about the rest. 

First Kakashi, then the rest. 

It was a good plan. 

Kind of. 

Iruka managed to backtrack to where he had last seen the imposter Kakashi but it looked like the enemy had already ransacked their campsite. There hadn’t been anything for him, but Iruka was glad to see the mess, meant his captor had been after something and hadn’t gotten it. 

He wasn’t sure what it could have been but he would take any victory at this moment. 

When Kakashi had left that morning to meet with the team, they hadn’t had any issues in the mission yet. Iruka paused on a branch, he could head in the direction of the city and try to get information or he could head back to Konoha and get reinforcements. Iruka closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and started back towards the town. 

“Stop!” Iruka stumbled on the next branch, hitting the tree with a thud as Pakkun jumped in front of him. The dog looked worried. “It’s too late, you have to go back!”

“Too late?” Iruka’s voice cracked, he could feel his head getting light. 

No. 

Not--

“Kakashi’s not dead.” Pakkun growled. “But if you go in there to save him then you both will die. The village is gone, the whole thing was a trap.”

“I won’t leave him.” Iruka wanted to shout but he kept his voice quiet. 

“Idiot!” Pakkun growled. “I just said that you would die--”

“I don’t care about that!” Iruka hissed at the dog, “And I don’t know why you’re arguing with me. If he summoned you then he probably summoned the rest. Take me to the group and we can figure out how to save him together!”

Pakkun looked like he was about to argue again before he sniffed the air and swore. Iruka had never heard a dog swear before but he kept that comment to himself as the dog took off. He kept up with the pug, making sure to not leave any tracks in case they were being chased. 

He would save Kakashi and Genma. 

He could do it. 

“You were supposed to send him back!” Shiba, the mohawked dog growled as Pakkun and Iruka hit the ground. Iruka noted that the group look a little worse for wear. “Where’s Genma?!”

Iruka pulled out his scroll and released Genma out of it. The dogs all blinking in surprise for a moment before suddenly Urushi was running over the unconscious man. “You sealed him?”

“I couldn’t carry him!” Iruka tried to defend himself but got pulled away from his teammate by Pakkun who bit his hand. “Ow!” 

“Focus, brat!” Pakkun growled before he turned to his fellow ninken. “Urushi, Akino, take care of Genman-kun. Bull, I need you protecting this place, we’re going to be booking it and we need a safe place to get back to.” 

“I can help with that.” Iruka pulled out the few seals that he had left and threw them on the trees that surrounded them, he only had five but it would do. “This should keep outsiders from getting in, at least for a while. If they’re strong it won’t do too much.”

Pakkun nodded at that before he turned to the remaining four dogs and Iruka. “The town might be gone but they took Boss underground, I still got his sent and he’s not far but by how strong his scent is, he’s not in good shape.”

“I fucking hate going underground…” Shiba muttered and Iruka clenched his fists. 

“Iruka-kun, you’ll be with me.” Pakkun nodded at the rest. “It’s a smash and grab, destroy what you can and try to get to Boss first. Grab and run, you got it?”

The remaining four disappeared and Iruka missed a step as Pakkun landed on him. Iruka frowned as he ran in the direction the pug had pointed him in. “How bad is he?”

“Bad enough.” Pakkun growled. 

Iruka went quiet at that, running faster as he made his way towards the town. He could smell fire, the closer he got, and he could start seeing the signs of destruction. He stopped when Pakkun told him to and found himself staring at what had once been a town. He wanted to ask if Pakkun knew what had happened to the undercover shinobi but thought better of it. 

Kakashi first, then the rest. 

\---

Konohamaru sighed as placed his ears against the door. 

Silent. 

“Kono, I told you that he won’t be back until next week.” His mom chided him and Konohamaru frowned at her. He didn’t like being called Kono but he figured it was okay if it was just his mom. 

“But I want to play with him now.” Konohamaru knew that he was whining but didn’t care. Iruka always played the best games with him. 

Iruka was the best. 

“How about we finish cleaning your room and then I’ll make your dad cook dinner and we can’t play instead?” Namaiki tried and Konohamaru pouted as he looked at his mom. 

“I guess…” He sighed and Namaiki tried not to be offended. 

Not everyone could be as loved as Iruka, apparently. 

\---

Iruka had always thought that he would die on a mission. Probably doing something stupid, like tripping on a sword, or at least that’s what Azusa would say when they were on those slow D-rank missions. Hayate had put money on Iruka dying of boredom in the mission room, Inoichi-sensei had been mad at all of them and said that they would all die by his own hands if they didn’t stop talking. 

“Why are you smiling?!” Kakashi was blurry above Iruka, he could barely make out the wide eyes enough to register that Kakashi didn’t have his headband. 

Iruka wanted to tell him that it was okay, that he was worried for nothing. Anko had promised Iruka that he would die of old age, because someone in their age group had to live forever and she had voted for Iruka. 

He had loved her then. 

“Boss, we need to move!” Iruka could make out Pakkun’s voice, he wondered why he couldn’t see the dog but then, he couldn’t really see much as the world started to spin. 

“Don’t you dare die on me, Iruka! That’s an order!” Kakashi was yelling at him now and Iruka wanted to tell him that it was a stupid order. 

Abuse of power, really. 

Iruka had always thought he would die on a mission, he just hadn’t realized that he was going to know about it beforehand. 

It hadn’t taken him and Pakkun long to find Kakashi’s location, mainly because that was where all the people were. It had been a group of 30 very angry looking shinobi, their headbands were scratched up and Iruka hadn’t known if it was because they had gone missing or if it was from the fight that destroyed this town but he did know one thing. 

He wouldn’t be able to take them all. 

And he hadn’t. 

“Who uses a body-flicker to transport a captive when they are injured like this?” Kakashi was swearing again, Iruka didn’t know how the man was moving considering last time he had seen him Kakashi had been bound and gagged. 

Iruka found his eyes opening, the world spinning faster. 

Had he seen Kakashi’s face?

“You’re poisoned so I need you to stay awake!” Kakashi was shouting again and Iruka thought he might vomit. 

Maybe if Iruka didn’t die he could ask Kakashi to show him his face again, since he saved him. Iruka thought it was unfair that he couldn’t remember anything and the harder he tried to think about it the quicker it seemed to run away. 

“Boss, stop! We’re here!” 

There was a lurch and suddenly both Kakashi and Iruka were on the ground. Iruka could taste blood in his mouth, his whole body felt so heavy but he could hear Kakashi scrambling. Could hear Genma in the distance, which was good because it meant that Iruka hadn’t kill him in the scroll. 

“Don’t you dare die!” Kakashi was over him again and Iruka found himself smiling because Kakashi didn’t want him to die. 

“Shit, Iruka!” Genma was on his other side and Iruka felt smothered by their concern but he also felt tears start streaming down his face. “Iruka, what did you do?”

Iruka opened his mouth but nothing came out, he realized that he could taste more blood and he tried to think of the lesson they had taught in first aide. Was he too far gone to save at this point? What were his symptoms?

“You’re not allowed to die until you find your Will of Fire!” Kakashi was back over him and the Copy-nin looked pissed. Iruka didn’t know why Kakashi was always so angry with him but he would try to fix that in the future. “You’re not allowed to die until you know what you lived for, you hear me?”

“Kakashi--” 

“Boss, they’re coming. We got to move.” Pakkun interrupted whatever Genma was going to say and Iruka felt his whole world start to go numb. 

It probably wasn’t a good thing that he couldn’t feel his arms anymore. 

“Dammit!” Kakashi was suddenly over him again, forcing Iruka to look him in the eyes. Iruka thought he had wonderful eyes, even if the Sharingan made his chest hurt. “Iruka, you can pass out now. You don’t want to be awake for the rest of this trip.” 

Iruka decided that sounded like a good idea and everything went black. 

\---

Genma stared at the other man in the cabin they were in. They had made it to an ANBU station, one that had been lucky enough to have a mednin and while Genma was glad that he was no longer near death, he was worried. 

Kakashi hadn’t stopped pacing since the ANBU had rushed Iruka into one of the side rooms. 

They had been lucky. 

So lucky. 

“You need to sit down before you pass out.” Genma kicked a chair in Kakashi’s direction. The captain flinched at the noise and it looked like he was about to argue but then he basically collapsed into the seat. Genma had never seen Kakashi like this, in all the years he had worked with the younger man. “Kakashi--”

“He could have died.” Kakashi was folding into himself on the chair. 

Genma blinked, both of them were exhausted but they couldn’t stop yet. They were just here to get Iruka out of the red before the three of them would be finish their run to Konoha. The older man didn’t know what to say to his captain. 

“Yes.” Genma spoke slowly causing Kakashi to look up at him, thankfully keeping his left eye shut as he stared at Genma. They would need to get him a new headband. “He almost died saving you...on a supply run mission. We need to figure out what happened.”

Kakashi nodded at this, taking a deep breath before he started reporting the details to Genma. The older man filling in what had happened before he had been taken out, and both of them making guesses on Iruka’s part. 

Genma felt himself relaxing as Kakashi calmed down. He watched the younger man slowly shift back into his captain mode and found himself breathing easier. 

This was the Kakashi he knew. 

\---

Iruka had two thoughts when he woke up in the Konoha hospital. 

First, there was several heavy things on top of him and he was pretty sure some of them were snoring. 

Two, he wasn’t dead. 

He was sure that he had thought those things in the wrong order but he found he didn’t mind as he forced his eyes open. The room was dim, it was clearly daylight outside but someone had turned the light off in his room and had shut the curtains. 

“Don’t move, let yourself wake up first.” Inoichi-sensei’s voice was calming to Iruka had he found himself nodding slightly as he shut his eyes again. 

“What’s on top of me?” Iruka whispered and he heard his sensei laugh slightly before the older man came over to help Iruka sit up a bit to find Pakkun and Konohamaru sleeping on his legs. “Hiruma dropped him off a while ago and the kid wouldn’t leave until he knew you were alright, not sure when the dog got here but he’ll bite anyone who tries to move him.”

“Pakkun…” Iruka tried to make his voice sound chiding but he could hear the fondness with his own ears. 

“I’ll tell the Boss you’re okay.” Pakkun got up and did a little circle before he turned to face Iruka directly. Both Inoichi and Iruka blinked as the pug did a small bow. “Thank you for saving him.”

And then the dog was gone in a puff of smoke. 

“Do you know--” Iruka started but Inoichi shushed him and pulled his chair closer to the bed. Konohamaru let out a little snort before drooling more on Iruka’s leg and the teen couldn’t help but smile at the sight. 

“You’re team is back, everyone is fine. They managed to get some recovery time at an ANBU station before they made it to the village. That’s what saved you.” Inoichi ran his hands through his hair before he reached over and grabbed Iruka’s hands. “Iruka--”

“I know.” Iruka cut his teacher off and squeezed the older man’s hands tightly. “I know.” 

The older man’s lip quivered a bit before he let his head collapse down, letting out an exasperated breath as he did. Iruka found himself smiling at his teacher, there were so many things he wanted to tell the older man, so many things he had thought about while he was dying. 

But he had something he needed to do first. 

“I need to talk to the Hokage.” Iruka took a breath, wincing as he felt some of his wounds. He knew he was going to look ridiculous, showing up before the older man covered in bandages but he had something he need to do. 

“Iruka, I don’t think--” 

“Please, sensei.” Iruka smiled at Inoichi, pleading. “I have to tell him I found my Will of Fire.” 

Inoichi blinked at that, slowly, before he smiled with a nod. It took them a little time, and Iruka was surprised that Konohamaru slept through the whole thing, before Iruka was making his way out the door with Inoichi staying behind to make excuses for the nurses that would check in. 

It took Iruka a little longer to make his to the tower, and he was probably a little out of breath as he made his way up the stairs but when he found Kakashi and the Hokage on the roof he found that he didn’t mind how he looked. The stark relief in Kakashi’s gaze, the amusement coming from the Hokage, Iruka couldn’t think of a better way to tell everyone what he wanted to do. 

\---

“Iruka-sensei…” Anko purred. She repeated it again and again, each time sounding dirtier before she nodded with a smile. “I like it.” 

“I’m not a teacher yet.” Iruka huffed before he leaned against Hayate. His friend bumping shoulders before Iruka smiled at everyone around the table. “But the Hokage says I can be an assistant at the Academy while I sort out my qualifications, I’ll also have to figure out when the exam is…” 

“I’m so happy.” Inoichi was crying at the other end of the table, Shikaku and Choza clearly having some sort of drinking competition that made all three of the older men look sloppy. Happy, but kind of sloppy. 

“I just don’t get it.” Kurenai sighed. “I mean, jonin-sensei one day, sure...but Academy teacher? No thanks.” 

“I like kids.” Iruka tried. 

“We know!” The table groaned and Iruka laughed, this time Hayate pushed him away which caused Iruka to land against his other tablemate. He smiled at the older man and Kakashi curved his eye at him. 

“The kids will be lucky to have you.” Kakashi murmured softly and Iruka felt his face flush as the jonin grabbed Iruka’s elbow to help the teen center himself. Kakashi was close, and Iruka was having a hard to figure out if it was because he was leaning against Kakashi or if the older man was leaning against him. 

Iruka probably should have still been in the hospital, he had barely been approved by a nurse before Yugao, Anko, and Hayate as shoved him out. The three of them acting suspicious all the way to the Korean BBQ restaurant where Iruka found his surprise party waiting for him. He was going to get a reputation for being as bad as the jonin when it came to saying in the hospital. 

Iruka picked up his glass before it was taken out of his hands by Kakashi who handed him a cup of water with a knowing look. “They gave you painkillers right?”

Iruka just nodded as he sipped his water with a blush. Kakashi was right, alcohol and Konoha’s painkillers never went well together. It was something every generation had to learn on their own, and poor Kotetsu had learned first hand. 

That had been an interesting week. 

“I’m tired of all this small talk--to Iruka!” Gai shouted, throwing his drink in the air and somehow not realizing that he had splashed Iruka and Kakashi on the other side of the table. Iruka started laughing and Kakashi didn’t even react, just stared at his rival boredly. 

The rest of the table joined in happily, “To Iruka-sensei!” 

“Not yet!” Iruka tried again, know that his face was flush. No one seemed to care and as he sat back, feeling his arm brush against Kakashi’s, he found that he didn’t either. 

\---

Kakashi was worried. 

“Senpai.” The young teen walked by him in the locker room and then turned down the hall. 

He had no reason to be worried, everything had been happening like clockwork but there was something tell him things were wrong. There was something wrong and he knew that the gut feeling was telling him it was all coming from Itachi. 

He took a deep breath, he would look into this later on his own time. 

Not right now. 

Not on the clock. 

“Want to guess what the mission is today?” Kakashi smiled as he started walking next to the teen, hunching over in his bad posture that he knew drove some people nuts. 

“No.” Itachi stated simply as they made their way down the street. Kakashi figured it was because the teen already knew they were heading to the observation room that watched the Uchiha compound. The older man just sighed as they made their way up the stairs to relieve the old shift. 

If he was honest, Kakashi wondered if their first shift here is what started that feeling. The older ANBU sighed as he made himself comfortable in the seats and stared at the tvs. Normal people doing normal things, at least on the outside. 

A powerful clan that was also planning a coup d'etat on the inside. 

Kakashi paused as he spotted a familiar ponytail on the screen. He found himself sitting up in confusion as sure enough, Iruka showed up on the grainy screen with a smile on his face. 

“Ah.” Itachi spoke softly as he noticed Iruka as well. “Iruka-san.”

“You know him?” Kakashi was actually curious about this, Konoha was big and small at the same time. You never knew if who where people landed on the social ladder and there was a chance that Iruka--Kakashi blinked, remembering a Crane mask, and shut his eyes. 

“Shisui was fond of him.” Itachi spoke softly as he made notes on a piece of paper, most likely jotting down that Iruka had been allowed into the compound. “He is also an assistant at the Academy, my father decided to allow Iruka on the compound to talk to future students as a favor to the Hokage.”

“Makes sense.” Kakashi stated cooly, he turned his attention back to the screen and found himself wondering how often Iruka had been to the compound. 

“He shouldn’t get too comfortable with the parents.” Itachi murmured before he met Kakashi in the eyes. “They might take advantage of his kindness.” 

They kept their eyes locked for a few moments before Kakashi found himself nodding. He wasn’t sure how he was going to warn the Hokage about this possible development but he knew it was better to come from the older man than himself. Kakashi and Iruka had just started a very tentative friendship where they spoke to each other when they passed in the street. 

The jonin did not want to ruin it. 

\---

“You really are something.” 

Kabuto hummed at the hand against his cheek before he opened his eyes to stare at his master. Orochimaru-sama had been pleased with his work and it made Kabuto pleased. 

The teen smiled as Orochimaru brushed his thumb against his cheek one more time before letting his hand drop. The older man walked through his lab muttering about the next experiment and Kabuto made sure to follow, always ready at his master’s side. 

He might not know who he was, but he knew that he would be able to create a new version of himself with Orochimaru. 

Orochimaru would be his foundation. 

\---

“I haven’t seen you in a while.” 

Iruka turned to look out the window of the school to find Kakashi leaning against the edge. His head tilted and eye curved in a way that made it seem like he was smiling. Iruka couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey, stranger.” 

There was a bell sounding in the hall to let them know that classes were back in session and Iruka moved to the edge so he could rest his stack of books for a moment. The one good thing about being an assistant was that he didn’t have to run anywhere, the library would get organized in it’s own time. Kakashi hummed and Iruka tried not to be pleased when Kakashi leaned towards him. 

There was something about Kakashi…

“I heard from Gai that Anko is hosting another shindig at her mom’s dango shop.” Kakashi’s eyes seemed to stray towards the hall and Iruka waited for the man to continue. “I was tasked with letting you know.” 

Iruka bit his lip lightly at that, since Hayate had already told him an hour ago. 

“I’ll definitely be there then.” Iruka smiled, hoping that his face didn’t look as red as it felt. “Would hate to miss out on free booze and dango.” 

“I always thought you prefered ramen.” Kakashi turned his attention to Iruka then and the chunin knew he was blushing now. 

“I do.” Iruka didn’t bother hiding the fact. “Ichiraku Ramen is the best.” 

Kakashi stood up to stretch and Iruka found himself straightening up as well. Kakashi clearly had other places to be and Iruka couldn’t hang out by the window all day. He opened his mouth to say his goodbyes and suddenly Kakashi’s hand was on top of the stack of books so that Iruka couldn’t walk away. 

“We should go sometime.” Kakashi spoke quickly and Iruka found himself blinking. 

“Go?” The chunin said the word slowly before he brought his eyes to Kakashi’s face and noticed a slight tinge of pink on Kakashi’s cheek that wasn’t covered by the mask. It took him far longer than it should have before Iruka realized what Kakashi said. The older man clearly forcing himself to stay still as he stared at Iruka. “Of course! Ramen, us, yes!” 

Iruka felt his face heat up. 

That sounded awful. 

Kakashi didn’t seem to mind though as he finally let go of Iruka’s books and took a few steps away from the window. The jonin rubbed the back of his head a bit before he curved an eye at Iruka. “Maa, then I’ll see you at Anko’s tonight, sensei.” 

Iruka was about to correct him but Kakashi was already gone and chunin bit his lip again. 

Oh, that had been awkward. 

\---

“Man, I can’t believe we have to study again.” Mizuki groaned and Iruka found himself laughing as he grabbed another book from the stack on the floor. They were at Iruka’s place and the teens would go between quizzing each other to throwing wads of paper at each other when one of them messed up. 

Iruka had been surprised when he learned that Mizuki had been looking into teaching at the Academy as well. In fact, everyone had been surprised but Mizuki had seemed embarrassed by the whole thing. Iruka assumed that maybe he hadn’t wanted to tell any of their friends because everyone knew that Mizuki had been planning to rise up the ranks quickly...only he was still a chunin. 

It was a little weird, at first, suddenly hanging out again. They had fallen out of touch when Iruka had been at Uzutoshi and neither had really made a an effort to build the friendship again. Mizuki had always been busy with his team and missions, with his crush on Tsubaki, and Iruka had been busy with his own life.

They had still been friendly of course, but Iruka was starting to think it was nice to have Mizuki back in his life on the regular again. 

“I’m worried about the training course we’ll have to go through.” Iruka sighed as he laid back, his head hitting another stack of scrolls that had been behind him. “I’m not sure what they’re looking for, but I hope that I have it.”

“Of course you do.” Mizuki smiled as he kicked his foot against Iruka’s. “You’re the Hokage’s favorite and everyone else is always rooting for you.”

“Ha.” Iruka waved Mizuki off. “I’m no one’s favorite, he just puts up with me for a free babysitter for Konohamaru.” 

Mizuki mumbled something at that but before Iruka could have asked what it was there was a knock on the door. Both boys groaned before Iruka laughed and made it way over. “Aoba-san, if you’re bringing more books then--Oh, hey Anko!” 

“More books?” Anko shoved her way past Iruka and took in the sight of Mizuki and the mess on the floor. “Nerds.” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment coming from you.” Mizuki smirked at Anko while she glared at him. That was also something Iruka hadn’t realized until Mizuki had starting coming around more, Mizuki and Anko didn’t get along. They had always fought as kids but Iruka had always assumed it was more of a friendly banter but now things always felt tense around the two of them. 

Mizuki had even stopped coming to group gatherings and Iruka had wondered if this was the cause. 

“Oh, I’m supposed to meet Tsubaki at the east gate!” Mizuki hit his forehead with a deprecating laugh and got to his feet. He passed by Anko before he smiled at Iruka. “Test is tomorrow, I’ll see you at the tower bright and early.”

“Don’t stay up too late.” Iruka smiled as he let his friend out before he sighed and turned to Anko who was frowning at him. “What happened now?”

“I don’t like him, Iruka.” Anko sighed before she shook her head. “He’s changed, I don’t know how but I can feel it in my gut. I’m not saying you should avoid him but just be careful, okay?”

Iruka thought she was being ridiculous but he agreed. “I’ll be careful, but I don’t think that’s why you’re here?”

Anko got a look on her face that made her eyes gleam in a creepy way and Iruka took a step back at her smirk. Anko just laughed before she hit her cheeks a bit to ‘get her normal face back’ as she liked to tell him before she shrugged. “I heard Gai and Kakashi were about to do a challenge at the front gates, I know you’re a pacifist and you don’t agree with all the fighting but--”

Iruka threw a shoe at her, glad that it actually hit her in the stomach as he slipped his sandals on. “Shut up and let’s go. I need to get my mind off the test.”

“I knew you would want to come.” Anko laughed, grabbing Iruka’s arm so that she was dragging him out. The weren’t in a rush but Iruka felt like there was something Anko wasn’t telling him. 

“Maa, it’s your turn.” Kakashi had his finger in his ear when Iruka and Anko showed up. Iruka trying not to laugh at the crowd of bored shinobi that had gathered on the roofs. Iruka and Anko found their seats on the roof of the check-in station and made themselves comfortable. 

“First to complete 500 hanging sit-ups wins!” Gai smiled with a thumbs up and Iruka found his mouth hanging open. 

500 hanging sit-up was--

“Fine.” Kakashi sighed with a shrug before he glanced over at Iruka’s direction. The older man gave Iruka a quick smile, or at least Iruka thought it was a smile before both jonin were hanging upside down on the gate. 

“If I win then you have to make me lunch for a week!” Gai laughed as he readied himself. 

“If I win then I want you to not talk for a week.” Kakashi hummed before he gave his friend a bored look. “You have to sing everything you need to say.” 

“Is he trying to punish us as well?” Izumo grumbled behind the sign-in desk. Anko was laughing beside Iruka and Iruka missed whatever Gai said but suddenly the men were going at it. 

It was kind of amazing to watch. Iruka watched how effortlessly the seemed to curl up, he knew that they were just starting but it was amazing to see their control. Iruka watched Gai took the lead, the older man shouting some sort of encouragement that had him moving faster than Kakashi. 

The other jonin didn’t seem worried at that and get him his steady pace. Iruka watched as a bead of sweat rolled down Kakashi’s face and to his ear. 

“Don’t stare so hard.” Anko purred causing Iruka to flush as he looked at her in surprise. “The Copy-nin might get distracted and lose.”

“I wasn’t!” Iruka tried but he knew that his face was only getting redder. 

Anko blinked at him before she made a weird face and Iruka knew she was about to hate whatever she just said. “I thought you just had a hero thing for him but you might actually have a--”

“Nothing!” Iruka covered her mouth as she cackled behind his fingers. “I just want to be his friend.”

“Idiots.” Both Anko and Iruka stopped their wrestling to look over at Kurenai who was looking at them boredly. “You know he can hear you guys, right?”

What. 

Iruka turned back to where Kakashi had clearly slowed down and Iruka could see a tinge of pink on the older man’s ears. Iruka shoved Anko away from his and decided to do the only smart thing in that situation. 

He ran for it. 

\---

“I can’t believe you’re actually making his lunch, senpai.” Yugao had made herself comfortable on Tenzo’s couch while Tenzo frowned at the both her and Kakashi. 

“Why are you making his lunch in my kitchen?” Tenzo sighed as he watched Kakashi pack 7 bentos at once. “Senpai, I don’t think that’s what he meant.”

“I know, I know…” Kakashi sighed. “We have a mission tomorrow so I figured this was the best I could do.”

“I think he wanted you to eat lunch with him.” Tenzo sighed before checked the bentos to make sure that everything was edible and Kakashi hadn’t put poison in it. Not that he was actually worried that Kakashi would poison Gai, but his senpai was clearly distracted. 

Had been distracted since the challenge honestly. 

“Did something happen?” Tenzo tried and both him and Yugao tensed when Kakashi froze, the older man’s ears going pink before he continued packing the next bento. 

Interesting. 

“No.” Kakashi stated boredly and kept moving. 

Tenzo turned his attention to Yugao who nodded at him. They would give Kakashi space right now but then they would definitely look into this. Whatever had happened, Tenzo hoped it was something good. 

\---

“Mizuki!” Iruka found his friend outside of the tower. 

Mizuki was facing away from him and his whole body was tense. Iruka bit his lip as he tried to think of how to approach him before he took a deep breath and made his way over. He wasn’t sure how Mizuki had failed the qualification exams, Iruka knew that the only reason he had passed was because his friend had been looking out for him. 

“I’m sorry.” Iruka reached out to place his hand on the man’s shoulder and was surprised by Mizuki’s expression before Mizuki was suddenly smiling at him. 

“I’ll get it next time.” Mizuki smiled, his demeanor suddenly relaxing as he put his arm around Iruka. “But I think we have something to celebrate, don’t we sensei?”

Iruka’s cheeks went pink at that. “I don’t even have a class yet…”

They made their way over the bars, both knowing that they would run into friends along the way and when news got out that Iruka had passed then more people would show up. The best thing about living in a hidden village is that you never needed to send out invitations to shinobi, they always knew when to show up and where the booze was. 

Iruka smiled as Mizuki ribbed him, making jokes about how close Iruka had probably been to failing and the teen laughed along. Joining in as he felt some tension forming in his shoulders as he remembered Mizuki’s expression right after the results had been posted. 

Mizuki had looked murderous. 

“Oh.” Mizuki paused as they were about to enter the bar before he turned to Iruka. “I asked Tsubaki to marry me, we should probably celebrate that too.”

“Whaaaaat?” Iruka stared at his friend in surprise, he probably looked stupidly happy. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was going to celebrate everything together, being a teacher and all that, but I guess getting engaged isn’t half bad.” Mizuki smiled and waved, Tsubaki was already waiting for them at the bar and Iruka sighed as he watched his friend walk over the the other chunin. 

He didn’t need to worry about whatever had happened earlier, people always got a little tense around tests and Mizuki had always been more competitive than most. It wouldn’t take long before Mizuki did qualify and then they would be teaching together. 

It would be a few drinks in before Iruka realized that he didn’t recognize anyone at the bar they were at. He blinked a few times looking for Mizuki and not seeing his friend before he sighed, he had been so busy talking about the most recent gossip with the bartender he hadn’t seen the party move. 

Some ninja he was. 

“You look too sad for someone who should be celebrating.” Iruka turned quickly, stumbling a bit so that he had to grab Kakashi’s arms to stabilize himself as he blushed at the older man. Kakashi just smiled at him. “Just got back, congratulations Iruka-sensei.”

“I’m not a sensei yet.” Iruka blurted out and hated himself a little bit for correcting the jonin. 

“Maa, sensei.” Kakashi put his arm around Iruka’s shoulders. “I thought we were friends, why don’t you look happy to see me.”

Iruka was too drunk for this. 

The chunin laughed awkwardly as he let Kakashi lean against him and signal for his tab. “I think I missed where the rest of the party went, do you know where I could find them?”

“Oh, they’re three bars over. I’m sure Anko will be here shortly, she was yelling some unpleasant things because you were drinking without her.” Kakashi drawled and if they hadn’t been so close Iruka wouldn’t have felt how tense the older man was. The teen turned to glance up at Kakashi, the jonin clearly looked tired and was still in his ANBU gear minus the porcelain mask. 

Had he come here straight after the mission? 

“Welcome home.” Iruka smiled softly, Kakashi turning to him with a surprised expression in his one eye and Iruka started scratching his scar. “Or--”

“Thank you.” Kakashi murmured, his hand brushing against Iruka’s scar so that he could get the teacher to stop rubbing it. 

Iruka wondered why it was so hot all of the sudden. He managed to leave Kakashi’s arm to pay the bartender and it was just in time because Anko was suddenly there and pulling him out into the street. 

“Why aren’t you plastered yet?” Anko shouted as she shoved Iruka into another bar where he was greeted by cheers. “I found our lost sensei!”

“Congratulations!” Everyone shouted and Iruka laughed. He had a moment to wonder where Kakashi had disappeared to before he was pulled into a very tight embrace by a drunk Inoichi-sensei. 

All in all, Iruka had probably never been this happy. 

\---

“Do you think he’ll do it?” Shikaku sighed as he laid out the classroom rosters in front of him. Yoshino had a pen in her mouth as she stared at her list of candidates as well as the current teachers. 

“I think he’s the only choice.” Yoshino sighed before she glared at the old man who was smoking his pipe while playing checkers with their son. “Hokage-sama, no smoking in the house. Move the board to the terrace if you must but please keep that awful smell outside.”

“Yoshi--” Shikaku started before he stopped as his wife glared at him. 

He decided it wasn’t worth it to push back so he stayed silent as he turned his attention to their leader. The Hokage was laughing as he put out his pipe, Shikamaru was grumbling about the noise as he made another move on the board. 

“I’m sorry, Yoshino-sensei.” Hiruzen apologized before he glanced over at the married couple. “How are the assignments coming along?”

“You passed 8 candidates but I can already tell that three won’t make it to an actual classroom. It’s fine, they’ll be good as substitutes or specialty teachers but out of the remaining five I’m not sure if any of them will be able to handle Shika’s class.” Yoshino sighed. “And I can’t be the headmaster and teach two classes.”

“What’s wrong with my class?” Shikamaru sighed. “I don’t understand why so many teachers keep quitting. If they don’t have the patience then they shouldn’t be teachers in the first place.”

“You’re right.” The Hokage smiled at Shikamaru causing the boy to blush before he glared at the board. 

“The old man beat me.” Shikamaru sighed. 

“That’s Hokage-sama you brat.” Yoshino yelled at her son before she sighed. “It’s about time to meet up with Choji and Ino. Go grab your stuff and your father will walk you.”

“Stop nagging.” Shikamaru muttered under his breath before his mom glared at him and he made a hasty retreat. 

“I think the answer is easier than you think.” Hiruzen smiled as he got to his feet and made his way over. He glaced at the pages that were spread out in front of the couple before he place his finger on the one he had been looking for. “He’ll do it.”

“I’m not sure--” Shikaku started but Yoshino smiled as she lifted Iruka’s application up. She glanced at her husband before turning to the Hokage. 

“You can get him to agree?” She tried not to sound too hopeful, honestly, a part of her thought that this was only going to end horribly but she still wanted to hold out hope. “You know his circumstances…”

“He’ll do it.” The Hokage nodded. “But I’m going to ask that you only give him one class for now, let him focus on being Naruto’s homeroom teacher first and then we’ll see how much he can handle when it’s all settled.” 

Yoshino nodded, honestly that had been the plan with all the new candidates. Suzume and Daikoku were good teachers but the Academy had lost a lot of good instructors in the past year since Naruto had started at the school. 

\---

“Iruka-sensei, can you take these over to Suzume’s class?” Yoshino handed Iruka a stack of papers with a smile. “You’re free to go after this, so don’t hang around too long.”

“Of course, though I wish you wouldn’t call me sensei yet. I need to get a class first.” Iruka sighed before he made his way down the hall. It wasn’t hard to find Suzume, who had become a quite popular this year as she was surrounded by students asking her all sorts of silly questions. She waved for Iruka to put the papers on his desk as she answered every single student. Iruka gave her a way before he made his way to the entrance only to see a frowning kid staring out at the busy street. 

“Sasuke-kun, right?” Iruka smiled down at the boy who glared at him. “Remember me?”

Sasuke squinted at him a bit before nodding. “Iruka...sensei.”

“I’ll be a sensei next semester, just Iruka is fine now.” Iruka laughed and Sasuke gave him a weird look. Iruka just blushed as he rubbed his scar. “Are you waiting for your brother?”

Sasuke just sighed. “He’s late. I’m not supposed to walk home on my own but I don’t want to be here all day.”

“What if I walk you?” Iruka smiled down at the boy who gave him a suspicious look. “I actually haven’t been to the compound in a while, I have a few respects I need to pay so I was going to head over there anyway.” 

Sasuke seemed doubtful before he nodded and reached his hand up. Iruka blinked a few times before he realized the kid was going to hold his hand and suddenly both Iruka and Sasuke were blushing. Iruka grabbed it gently, like he would with Konohamaru and let the kid lead him down the street, Sasuke’s face nice and pink as he dragged his teacher with him. 

“Oh, Sasuke-kun.” Iruka paused making the boy stop with him as he pointed at a flower stand. “Do you mind if I grab some lilies real quick?” 

Sasuke looked like he did mind but he let Iruka drag him over the Yuuka who was smiling brightly at the pair of them. Iruka kept the conversation quick and just grabbed one flower before he promised to come by again to have tea with Inoichi. It didn’t take long before they were already approaching the compound. 

“Brother!” Sasuke let go over Iruka’s hand immediately to run up to the teen that was just now leaving the gates. Itachi smiled as it his little brother before looking up at Iruka with a strange expression. 

“I hope you don’t mind, but I was heading this way anyway.” Iruka scratched the back of his head with a smile. 

“No, thank you for bringing him.” Itachi spoke quietly, he turned to Sasuke. “Run home and I’ll meet you there. We can train after dinner.”

“Yes!” Sasuke’s eyes lit up, he almost took off before he gave Iruka a quick bow and thanks and then he was running into the compound. Iruka smiled as he watched the boy go before he turned to find Itachi glaring at him. 

“Um…” Iruka started. 

“You shouldn’t come here anymore.” Itachi’s voice was quiet, the teen moved slowly as he lift Iruka’s hand that was holding the flower so that it was between them. Itachi staring at the flower for a moment before he let his eyes meet Iruka’s one more time. “For his sake, move on.”

Iruka felt his throat close at that, his eyes burning as he tried to think of what to say. The teen regarded him for a moment before he stepped away. Iruka reached out and grabbed Itachi’s arm tighter than he meant to but the teen didn’t seem to react. 

“This will be my last visit.” Iruka hated out the words broke as he spoke. He took a deep breath as he nodded at Itachi. “I won’t visit him anymore after this, for his sake and mine.”

Itachi nodded at that and Iruka let him go. He waited for Itachi to be back in the compound before he made his way over the check in station. The woman behind the desk gave him a knowing look at the flower and let him in without any questions. 

Iruka sighed as he started his familiar path. 

This would be the last time. 

For both their sakes. 

\---

“He’s so skinny.” Tsubaki, Kurenai, and Anko all sighed as they watched Iruka chase after another group of kids. They were all on call and had decided to watch how Iruka was dealing with the hellions. 

It was actually quite amusing. 

“I heard that he’s been hanging around Kakashi recently.” Anko made eyes at Kurenai for confirmation but surprisingly it came from Tsubaki. 

“He mentioned that yesterday.” Tsubaki sighed. “He’s says they’re just friends.”

“Oh, he says that now, does he?” Anko smirked at her friend as he was tackled by a group of five kids at the same time. It was actually impressive how the helions learned to gang up on him. 

Kurenai just sighed. “Friends or not, I’m happy for them.” 

The women agreed. Tsubaki didn’t really know Kakashi aside from that one mission, and she had heard horrible gossip from Mizuki about the man but he didn’t seem that bad. And if he made Iruka happy then she would be happy for the both of them. 

\---

“Sorry I’m late.” Kakashi sighed as he fell into his seat across from Iruka. “There was this old woman and she--”

“You don’t have to lie to me, Kakashi.” Iruka smiled softly as he took in the other man across from him. “I’ve heard that you’ve been getting a reputation for being late to things, should I be happy that I didn’t wait that long?”

Kakashi just shrugged as he waved over a waitress and ordered some sake for the both of them. Iruka had already ordered some snacks, clearly not willing to wait for Kakashi on food which the ANBU found to be amusing. 

He didn’t mind. 

This was their third time meeting up, just the two of them, and Kakashi found that he liked Iruka’s company. It was nice to talk about small things, to not have a mission to plan or to be worrying about how drunk their friends were getting. It was nice when it was just the two of them. 

Kakashi hoped that Iruka felt the same way. 

There would be times, while they were talking, that Iruka would meet Kakashi’s gaze before looking at the table quickly. Kakashi had found it interesting the first few times but now he couldn’t help but want their eyes to meet for longer periods. Kakashi sighed mentally as he watched Iruka sip more sake, was it weird that he wanted Iruka to see him? 

“I might have drank too much.” Iruka murmured with a smile as he glanced at Kakashi again. “It’s hard to believe that you had anything all but your plates are empty so I hope it was good.”

“It’s always good when it’s with you, sensei.” Kakashi purred, enjoying how Iruka went even pinker at that. Iruka grumbled under his breath and Kakashi was amused by the threats but he didn’t say anything else as they paid for their meal and then made their way into the cool night. 

Iruka stumbled a little bit and Kakashi let the teen lean up against him. “How about I walk you home, sensei?”

“Not a sensei yet, Kakashi-san.” Iruka sighed and Kakashi knew that Iruka had a little too many if he was getting formal. Iruka always got more formal the drunker he was, which had been amusing the first time Kakashi had seen it, even more amusing when the teen had called Kakashi’s rival Gai-sama. 

Gai had really liked the title. 

The walk was nice, Kakashi decided as Iruka filled the silence with stories of the buildings they passed. Of pranks he had pulled or of things he had seen while growing up in this village. Iruka’s body was warm against his and Kakashi found that itch in his fingers was back. 

He wanted. 

They made it to Iruka’s apartment and Kakashi found himself helping the man up the stairs as as they made their way up. Iruka had stopped talking and Kakashi almost found himself filling the silence but he held back. 

He knew he couldn’t trust his words right now. 

“And this is me.” Iruka sighed as he put his hand on his door. He paused before he turned to Kakashi, his cheeks still flushed with drink as he bit his lip. “Kakashi-san...Kakashi, we’re friends right? No, I mean, of course we’re friends...but...we’re friends, right?”

Kakashi paused at that, blinking slowly as Iruka turned to face him a bit more. The older man tapped his chin in thought. Iruka looked like he was a few second from taking the question back so Kakashi decided to give in to the one thing he had been wanted to do all night. 

“Yes.” Kakashi answered as he pulled down his mask, Iruka looked surprised for a moment but Kakashi didn’t take time to enjoy as he bent forward to kiss the chunin on the lips. 

Iruka grabbed Kakashi’s vest and pulled the older man to him instantly. His mouth opening to the kiss, deepening it before Kakashi had a chance to pull away. The silver haired shinobi found himself pushing Iruka against the door, letting their bodies lean into each other before he gave Iruka a quick peck and pulled away, lifting his mask at the same time. 

Iruka blinked at him. “Oh.”

Kakashi smiled at that before put more space between them. He gave Iruka a little wave and Iruka watched as the older man disappeared down the hall. 

Oh.

Iruka felt his face heat up even more as he slid against his door and to the floor. His hands coming up to cover his lips as he stared down the hall, almost wishing Kakashi would come back. 

\---

Naruto eyed the new teachers running around the school, it would only be a matter of time before one of them got assigned to his class and he was going to be ready for it. 

A young man with a pony and tail and scar ran past him, clearly trying to get his armful of scroll to another classroom quickly and Naruto smirked as he put out his foot. The young man jumped over Naruto’s foot without a glance, not even seeing Naruto as he shouted. “Get back to class!” 

The blond just pouted, he would just have to raise the bar next time. 

He would scare away his next teacher just like he scared away the rest. 

\---

“After the target is killed then I’ll leave disposal to Weasel.” Kakashi nodded at the purple haired ANBU for looking over at Neko and Lynx. “The rest of us will deal with clean up. We have a lot to go through and only a few hours.”

“Yes, captain.” His squad answered and Kakashi found himself smiling under his mask at team Ro.

They had come a long way from when Kakashi had started and now they were like a well oiled machine. Kakashi actual felt warm as he watched them work together, hoping that he had been a good example for all of them. 

“...” Neko stared at Kakashi and the captain rolled his eyes at the goofy mask. “You seem different.”

Kakashi shrugged. Maybe he would take his cute subordinate to the memorial stone after this mission, it was about time he shared those stories with Tenzo and it was about time Kakashi updated Obito about Iruka. 

The ANBU captain hoped that his friends would have liked the chunin. 

\---

“I was tricked.” Iruka groaned into his pillow. He didn’t know what to do, or what he was even supposed to say after what had happened in the Hokage’s office. 

He was going to be Naruto’s teacher. 

Iruka sat up to find Konohamaru still drawing all over his table, most of the markers hitting the paper while a few hit the table top. He smirked at that, not minding the mess that he would have to clean up later. 

He would start teaching next week and his first class was going to be thirty 8-year-olds that hadn’t had a stable lesson plan since they had started at the Academy because of one student in the class who Iruka had learned as a terror. Sure, he had heard the kid shouting around the village but to think that the Hokage had asked him the teach the brat while they watched Naruto paint the Third’s nose red on the monument. 

What had the Hokage been thinking?

“Hey, uncle.” Iruka blinked as Konohamaru was staring up at him. “You okay?”

“Call me Iruka, Konohamaru.” Iruka sighed with a smile, though he would admit that he didn’t mind the uncle comment. He was actually really touched the first time Konohamaru had done that and had cried in Namaiki’s kitchen while everyone laughed at him. “And I’m fine.”

Konohamaru just pouted, clearly not believing Iruka but not pushing the matter as he scribbled some more. It looked like the kid was doing some very not nice things to his new tutor...Iruka would have to tease Ebisu about this later. 

Surely he wasn’t Naruto’s last chance at the Academy. That seemed insane. There had to be someone out there who could teach the boy. 

“If you keep frowning then I’m going to tell mom!” Konohamaru groaned. “She’ll nag you to death and you’ll have to tell her.”

Iruka found himself laughing at that before he made his way over to the table. There was nothing that he could do about that, at least not right now. And he certainly did not need Konohamaru to tell his parents that Iruka had been moping, the teen would never hear the end of it. 

“How about I join you at the table?” Iruka hummed as he grabbed some paper and started working on his seals. Konohamaru trying to copy the symbols he was making with little skill. “Is there anything you want to talk about? Since I’m being boring?”

“Hn…” Konohamaru stuck out his tongue as he thought about that. Iruka could see when the kid had an idea because his cheeks pinked a bit. Iruka waited patiently before Konohamaru spoke softly. “Could you tell me about my uncle?”

“Asuma?” Iruka blinked at that. “What would you like to know?”

“What’s he like?” Konohamaru bit his lip, a habit that Iruka had given the boy. “I don’t remember him and dad never talks about him. I’ve heard a few things, like he’s tall and strong...but…”

Iruka frowned at that, wondering if he should bring this up to Hiruma later. He knew that Hiruma kept in touch with Asuma, the wrote to each other constantly, but he wondered if maybe Hiruma wasn’t talking about his younger brother for another reason. Iruka shook his head and decided to talk to Namaiki, she would know the correct way to go about it when it came to the Sarutobi family drama. 

“He is really tall.” Iruka scratched his head as he remembered Asuma. “And strong, he’s also a bit of a lazy bastard…”

Iruka stopped at that as he turned to see Konohamaru grinning at him. “Don’t repeat that.”

“Bastard!” Konohamaru yelled at the top of his lungs before cackling and jumping out of his chair so that Iruka couldn’t reach him. “Bastard, bastard, bastard!” 

“I also knew you were a bad influence.” Iruka had managed to grab Konohamaru’s scarf and dragged the kid back to him when he turned to see Hiruma at the door looking worried. “Do I even want to know?”

“No.” Iruka stated at the same time that Konohamaru shouted, “Bastard!”.

Hiruma laughed at Iruka’s face before he grabbed his son, tickling Konohamaru as he threw the kid over his shoulder. Konohamaru was gasping as he hugged his father, clearly too happy to have his dad home to keep shouting rudely. Hiruma pulled on Iruka’s ponytail before pointing to the hallway. “You have a guest.”

“What?” Iruka paused as he followed Hiruma to the door. He opened it to find Kakashi on the other side rubbing the back of his head. “Kakashi!”

“Yo.” Kakashi gave him a wave and Iruka reached out to grab the other man’s arm, pulling him into the apartment just as Hiruma and Konohamaru side stepped them to leave. 

The older man smirked as Iruka as the door was closing and left a parting shot. “Collecting strays now?”

The door shut a little harder than it needed to but Iruka didn’t care as he stared at Kakashi. They hadn’t seen each other since the kiss, Kakashi disappearing for a missing the following morning and it had almost been a week. Iruka didn’t know if he wanted to sit down and talk about it or just kiss the man again. 

“Ah…” Kakashi paused before he stepped into Iruka’s space. “Would you mind closing your eyes for me, sensei?”

Iruka frowned a bit but did what he was told. “Why, I’ve already seen your fa--”

Kakashi’s lips were soft. Iruka found himself pushing back against the other man until he had Kakashi up against the door. His eyes stayed shut as he licked his way into the other man’s mouth, he felt fingers press over his eyes and had a sense of deja vu before Kakashi separated them. 

He couldn’t see the other man but he could feel his breath against his lips, Kakashi was clearly not done with the kissing. 

Iruka didn’t mind. 

“Welcome home.” Iruka whispered and he felt a puff of air that could have been a laugh even though Kakashi made no noise before his lips were on Iruka’s again. The stayed like that for a few moments before Kakashi separated them again, this time pulling his mask up as he let his fingers leave Iruka’s eyes. 

“Miss me?” Kakashi was smiling under his mask and Iruka smiled back, knowing that his lips were probably swollen but he didn’t mind. 

He would worry about everything else later, but at this moment he would see if Kakashi wanted to go grab dinner. 

Or drinks. 

Or maybe just wanted to kiss some more. 

Or all of the above. 

Iruka really hoped it was all of the above. 

\---

It was hot. 

Everything was burning. There were screams and screams and it felt the the whole world was on fire. 

Iruka sat up in bed quickly, gasping for breath as the image of the Kyubi flicked across his mind. 

It had been a dream. 

Just a dream. 

Iruka grabbed his chest as he took another breath. He kept repeating the deep breaths as he curled over so that he was on his side. 

It was just a dream. 

\---

Tenzo was glaring at him. 

Kakashi stretched his neck as he turned to look out over the forest. The ANBU guard tower wasn’t the most interesting of jobs but it was good if you wanted a slow day. 

It was not good when you had nosy subordinates. 

“Neko?” Yugao asked as she stared out over her perimeter, clearly reading the tension behind her without having to look at them. Kakashi thought she was going to make a good captain one day. 

“Senpai is in a good mood.” Tenzo kept his voice soft, as if he was reporting a valuable piece of information and Kakashi hated him a little bit as his shoulders slumped. 

“Senpai.” Kakashi spoke boredly. “Is allowed to be in a good mood.”

“No...not really.” Yugao yawned behind her mask. 

Sometimes he really hate these too. Kakashi sighed he decided to ignore them for the rest of the shift. Next time he would ask to be placed with Itachi. 

\---

“Just let him be.” Iruka sighed into drink. “How is that advice?”

“Listen to other teachers.” Mizuki waved him off. “They’ve been dealing with that brat for two years, they know what’s best.”

Iruka sighed at that, remembering how his first week with Naruto had gone so far and it was not looking good. After the first day Iruka had felt like trash, by the end of the week he just wanted to drink until he didn’t remember any of this. 

And the Hokage still wouldn’t see him. 

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to be able to mold minds with the Will of Fire and yet...and yet…

“You’re doing fine.” Mizuki took a drink before he waved for the bartender. She rolled her eyes but started filling another glass. “It sucks that you got burdened with that kid.”

“He’s not--” Iruka started but he shut his mouth. 

Naruto was just a kid, that much was clear to Iruka but it was hard to see the kid and not think about the thing living inside him. Iruka groaned as he shoved his drink away from him, he didn’t need this anymore than he actually wanted it. Iruka ended up staying at the bar long enough to be polite before he waved Mizuki off and made his way home. 

If he could just see the Hokage he could set all of this straight. 

Naruto was just a kid and he needed a teacher that could see him as that. Not someone like Iruka. He groaned as he finally made his way home and fell on his bed. He hadn’t been sleeping well all week and he just needed one night of rest. 

Of course, Iruka was used to not getting what he wanted. 

\---

“Are you trying to force something?” Kakashi asked casually as he made his way into the Hokage’s office. Kakashi smirked as the old man glared at him, the jonin enjoying having such a high standing when it came to the ANBU that they would just let him in the Hokage’s office. 

“I don’t know what you mean.” Hiruzen huffed on his pipe before he dipped his brush in ink and continued his writing. “Can I help you Kakashi-kun?”

Kakashi just sighed as he sat on the ground, wondering if he was pushing his familiarity with the Hokage but after you break into a man’s library to find a reason to be okay with his death, you kind of have to get comfortable with each other. Kakashi folded his legs and stared at the older man for a moment before he shrugged, not point in beating around the bush. “Iruka.” 

“Ah, Iruka-sensei.” The Hokage hummed but didn’t say anything else. 

Kakashi waited for a few more moments before he sighed. He wasn’t going to be able to get anything else out of the older man but at least he had let his concern be heard. He stretched a bit before he got to his feet. “Sorry for the disruption.” 

“Hm.” The Hokage sighed before he put down his brush and smiled at Kakashi. “I’m glad to see that you are still as overprotective as ever, when it comes to your friends.” 

Kakashi froze, feeling his body tense at that before he gave the old man a nod and made is way out. Kakashi kept his posture loose as he made his way out of the building and it wasn’t until he was about to pull out his favorite book that he realize how bad he was flushing. 

He was very happy to have a mask today. 

\---

“You seem tired.” Iruka smiled as he felt Kakashi move beside him at the bar so that they were sitting next to each other. 

There weren’t dating, not really, but they were more than friends at this point. Iruka had thought about having that conversation with Kakashi several times but no time ever felt right...and if Iruka was honest with himself, he liked the way that things were. He didn’t want to mess it up. 

“I might have made a mistake.” Iruka sighed as he leaned against the other man, letting their shoulders brush. 

“That’s okay.” Kakashi shrugged. 

Iruka laughed. “You don’t even know what the mistake is.”

Kakashi just shrugged again before he turned to Iruka so that their faces were really close. “But I know you, so if you made a mistake then I’m sure it’s something you can fix.” 

Iruka flushed at that, torn between wanting to pulling the man into a kiss and just dragging him back to his place. Kakashi’s eyes seem to read his mind as his eye suddenly went half lidded as he stared at Iruka. 

“Get a room!” Iruka found himself leaning away as he turned to see Izumo and Kotetsu smiling at them. 

“Idiot, read the mood!” Kotetsu elbowed Izumo and then they started arguing. Iruka was about to say something before he felt Kakashi’s hand on his arm and the jonin motions for them to get out of there. Iruka found himself flushing as he nodded before he was pulled from his seat. 

If anyone noticed their quick exit, no one said anything as Iruka made his way out into the street. Kakashi’s hand was warm in his as he dragged Iruka away from the crowded bar. 

They barely made it into Iruka’s apartment before Iruka was against the wall. Kakashi’s mouth over his. 

They left the lights off, something Iruka could deal with as long as Kakashi took off his mask. Honestly, as long as Kakashi’s mouth kept sucking on his neck like that, Iruka didn’t care if he never saw the man’s face properly. Iruka squirmed as he felt Kakashi’s teeth and pulled at the man’s hair to get Kakashi’s mouth back on his. 

Iruka wanted them to take off their cloths. 

Iruka wanted to do more things than kiss. 

Iruka wanted--

“Fuck me.” Iruka groaned against Kakashi’s lips and the other man made a noise like he was being strangled before he dropped his face against Iruka’s neck. The teen didn’t know what to do with that reaction so he just held onto Kakashi’s shoulders as the other man tried to catch his breath. 

They both stood there for a few moments before Kakashi left out a sigh and was pushing his mask back up. Iruka made a whining noise that he knew he would be embarrassed about later but Kakashi just pat him on the shoulder and let out a breath. “Not on a school night, sensei.”

Iruka blushed at that but before he could protest Kakashi was against him, their bodies pressed together as tight as possible. “Sensei, I plan to have you thoroughly but I won’t be able to hold back and I don’t want to rush.” 

“S...sounds good.” Iruka swallowed as he felt Kakashi’s heat through their cloths. “We-we can do other things.” 

“Why, sensei.” Kakashi was unzipping Iruka’s vest as the older man slid to his knees and started working on Iruka’s belt. “I thought you would never ask.”

And if Iruka made a high pitched keening noise when Kakashi swallowed him down, he hoped he could trust the Copy-nin to keep it to himself. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:   
> -Blowjob  
> -Canon Violence 
> 
>  
> 
> Ramblings:   
> So I am thinking about doing a sequel to this fic that follows Naruto and gang, instead of Kakashi and Iruka. Clearly, you will be getting more of the kids in the story now but there are some things that I want to do with the genin 9 in this universe...but my main problem is that when I get to the comic, I would want to change things. I would want to keep the main events the same but there are some character moments that I would change and some I might completely not touch on. It's a lot to think about but I would be curious to see what you guys think, if you even care about the kids. I mean, if I write it then I'll write it, just like this story, but I figured I would throw this out here. 
> 
> Also, for future pairing warnings when it comes to the kids:   
> NaruSasu  
> SakuSai  
> NejiHina (emotionally)   
> GaarLee  
> KankoKiba  
> ShikaTem
> 
> Yes, I know that's not all of them but that's where my heart lies currently. Choji, Ino, Shino, and Tenten have all my love but I can never settle of who I ship them with. But yeah, I figured I should put this here because I won't tag it unless it actually shows up in this story and it most likely won't be except for Naruto. The rest might have very subtle hints. 
> 
> But yea, ramble done! Sorry! 
> 
> Thank you, as always, for the amazing reviews and kudos! I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story!
> 
> Best,


	10. If Only I Could, Surely I Would

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka and Kakashi might be stumbling into a good thing, they aren't quite sure but they are definitely willing to give it a try. Of course, what comes up must...eventually...come down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I'm so excited to finally be posting this chapter. It took a while to write but it was so much fun and I hope you guys enjoy it. All warnings are at the bottom so scroll down if you would like. 
> 
> Note: This chapter contains events from Iruka’s Ordeal and Decision--filler eps from the anime. I don’t touch on them completely but I hope I did a good job getting the information across so that you won't need to watch them if you haven't already.

\---

“My rival, you look well!” Gai wrapped his arm around Kakashi’s shoulders and pointed in the distance. “Race you around the village? Winner gets a free meal?”

Kakashi hummed before he nodded, shutting his book as he put it in his pocket. 

It was a warm day in Konoha. A little too warm for the season but Kakashi didn’t mind. He felt refreshed, and he couldn’t remember the last time he felt this light. Maybe he was changing as a person...or maybe it was all Iruka’s fault. 

Iruka. 

Kakashi smiled to himself as he thought about the young teacher. They had been having a lot of fun, when Kakashi wasn’t on mission or Iruka wasn’t bogged down with work. The ANBU might be willing to admit that Iruka was constantly keeping him on his toes, proving that what Kakashi had thought he had known about the chunin was just a small fraction of the what there was to know about the teacher. 

Kakashi wanted to know everything. 

The race lasted a little longer than expected but Kakashi found himself smiling as they were once again tied. He turned to his rival who was panting against the ground. “I want sushi.” 

“Fine.” Gai huffed as he took a few more breaths. “Just give me a sec.”

Kakashi couldn’t stop the smile on his face at that. Knew that he should probably do a better job at hiding it as Gai blinked at him in surprise but he could help it. 

He was happy. 

\---

Naruto doesn’t know what people look at him the way they do. Like he is something they stepped on, some sort of bug that is invading their space. He doesn’t know what they want from him, it’s not like he can suddenly disappear and make their lives better by not being here. 

He had a life of his own. 

He wasn’t trash, he wasn’t a bug, he was Naruto Uzumaki! 

Not that it really mattered, who he was or how he shouted his name, no one was going to give him the time of day. Especially that Iruka-sensei, Naruto scoffed as he swung higher on the swing. Iruka-sensei had looked at him in the same way those adults did, and he didn’t care if Naruto behaved or if he was bad. Iruka-sensei didn’t care if Naruto was there at all, he just ignored Naruto like the blond wasn’t worth his time. 

Well, fine then. Naruto kicked his legs higher so that he could jump off the swing. The sun was rising in the distance and Naruto knew it didn’t matter. He would just go home and go to sleep, he didn’t have anywhere better to be. 

He was never going to go to the Academy again, if Iruka-sensei didn’t want him there then he wouldn’t bother showing up. It’s not like he needed to go, he would figure out things on his own. 

The old man Hokage could just deal with it. 

Naruto didn’t need anyone. 

\---

Iruka was not happy.

Naruto was officially no longer coming to class. 

The rest of the school let out a sigh of relief and yet Iruka felt like he had failed. He clenched his fists as he got ready for the day. He wanted to leave early so that he could go by the Naruto’s apartment before he went to class and maybe try talking to the kid. 

He wasn’t sure what he was going to say. For some reason ‘sorry that I treat you just like everyone else does’ didn’t seem like a real apology. 

Iruka had failed as a teacher. 

He didn’t know what to do. 

It didn’t help that Iruka could hear Naruto running away as soon as he made it to the kid’s place. Iruka sighed as he heard the kid jump off the balcony. Iruka had a few seconds before he took a deep breath and made his way into the unlocked apartment. He frowned at the sight in front of him. The kid had clearly been living on only instant food and cheap items. Nothing of real nourishment could be found in the kitchen. 

Iruka took in the state of the apartment and couldn’t stop the guilt that was crawling up his spine. Naruto was just a child. 

An orphan. 

Naruto didn’t know better because he had never had anyone to teach him in the first place. Iruka had always been aware of the flaws of how the village treated it’s orphans but now it felt like it was shoving it in his face. 

Oh, how he had failed.

Iruka took a deep breath as he bent down to start folding some of the kid’s cloths so they were off the floor. He wouldn’t be able to stick around to do as thorough of a cleaning as he would have wanted but he could fold a few shirts. Iruka placed the items on the bed and sighed. 

He owed Naruto an apology. 

Then he would set a better example for the boy and be the kind of teacher that Naruto deserved. Iruka took a deep breath as he resolved himself. He would make sure that he had the best class at the school, no matter who the student was. 

Or what people thought he should do. 

\---

Tenzo stared at the body in front of him and frowned. Waterfall shinobi had gotten close, too close as far as he was concerned. He stared at the trees around him and found himself frowning as he looked around. 

There was a chance that the enemy was still out here, but he couldn’t go in alone. He would take this body with him and report it in before they sent another team in. 

He lifted the body of the woman and sighed as he looked around at the mess. She had put up quite a fight, he would have to make sure to send out a clean up crew too. Maybe someone would find something that would show what she had been after in the first place. 

Tenzo sighed. 

He had a bad feeling about this. 

\---

He should have been more active, Iruka swore to himself as he ran across the branches. He had seen how Naruto had been treated at the school, Iruka had been part of the problem himself and he had done nothing. 

Children didn’t understand things, they only saw how their parents acted and treated those around them. How parents would whisper to each other in the street, pretending to be discreet but not really caring if they were overheard. 

Of course Naruto would be bullied. 

But for kids to send Naruto into the woods after some dead bodies? Iruka shook his head. He couldn’t believe that Naruto would do something so dangerous just because some kids said they would be his friend. 

Iruka paused, catching his breath against a tree as he listened for any sound of his loudest student. Then again, Iruka could believe that Naruto would do something this stupid. The pain of loneliness surrounded him and if Naruto finally had a chance to connect with someone then--maybe--Iruka took off again. 

He could understand the need to make the pain go away.

Iruka shook his head from those thoughts as he yelled for Naruto. Hopefully he would make it in time and the kid would be fine. Surely any enemy nin that had been in the skirmish would be gone by now, it would have been stupid for them hang around after they had been found out. 

Surely…

Of course, Iruka had never had luck on his side. He had found Naruto quickly but with Naruto he had found three enemy kunoichi. He would have been fine running on his own, but Naruto was knocked out and a dead weight on his back. 

Iruka grit his teeth as he threw down the smoke bomb. 

He would make sure nothing happened to Naruto, on his word as a teacher. 

\--

Shikamaru bit his lip as he and Choji made it back to the school. Sure he had thought it was weird that Iruka had run off after Naruto since Hibachi had tricked their schoolmate to go look for bodies in the woods but still...Iruka was a teacher and he could take care of himself. 

Still, that masked man who knew his father had made Shikamaru worried. 

The silver haired jonin had seemed worried about the fact that Iruka had run into the woods after Naruto, and now Shikamaru was worried. Sure, the old man had also sent Shikamaru and Choji back to the school but kid couldn’t help but let his mind race. 

Shikamaru would ask his dad about this later. His father would know who the jonin was most likely. 

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Choji murmured as they turned towards the school. 

“Of course, Iruka-sensei is a chunin, he’ll be fine.” Shikamaru place a hand on his friend’s shoulder and saw Choji shake his head with a small frown. 

“I meant Naruto...Iruka-sensei seemed really worried.” Choji bit his lip and Shikamaru sighed. 

“It’s cause Iruka-sensei was so worried that Naruto will be okay, ne?” Shikamaru smiled, trying to cheer his friend up. “Iruka-sensei might be new, but he’s not the type to let a student get hurt.” 

“Really?” Choji smiled as Shikamaru nodded and they made their way back to the school at a quicker pace. “You’ll send lend me some money for snacks, right?”

Shikamaru just sighed at that, but he was glad Choji was back to normal. 

Everything would be okay. 

\---

Kakashi was an idiot. 

Iruka running in after Naruto like that, of course Iruka would run towards danger after one of his students. Especially a student like Naruto, someone who Iruka had been feeling guilt over for some time. 

Who was he kidding, Iruka would run into the woods after any kid. Student or not. 

Kakashi growled as he sped up his pace. He should have sent out an ANBU team faster, he had only read Tenzo’s report that morning and had decided to acting captain on duty handle it versus stepping on any toes. Kakashi should have known better. 

There was yelling and he could hear the sounds of a fight not too far away. He swore when he finally saw Iruka, the chunin carrying Naruto on his back while three Taki-nin chased after him. The chunin had been doing good on his own so far but it was clear that with Naruto as a dead weight, Iruka would be losing shortly. 

Kakashi threw the explosive tag without another thought. 

He watched as Iruka ducked behind a tree to miss the explosion. Turning so that his back was no longer towards the enemy and Kakashi didn’t waste anytime to put himself between Iruka and the enemy. “Are you two okay?”

“Kakashi! What are you doing here?” Iruka sounded on edge, clearly waiting for a shoe to drop but Kakashi wasn’t about to let anything happen to this chunin. Kakashi had nearly had a heart attack when Shikaku and Choza’s kids had told him where there sensei had gone. 

“Your students told me what happened. I was a little concerned.” Kakashi turned his attention to the women in front of him. They were clearly unhappy that he had shown up but Kakashi didn’t care as he yelled for Iruka to go. 

He would finish this and Iruka and his student would be safe. 

Iruka would be safe. 

Kakashi had to hold himself back from killing the women, making sure to knock them before he tied them to the ground. Iruka was talking to him but Kakashi could still feel his heart beating fast, he wasn’t sure what this feeling was but he was certain he new the cause. 

“I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.” Iruka sounded happy and relieved. Kakashi didn’t understand how Iruka could be smiling at him like this. 

“You would have protected Naruto even if I hadn’t come.” Kakashi spoke clearly, not quite hearing what Iruka was saying as he stared at the teen next team. Iruka would have protected Naruto at all costs and that cost would have been his life. 

Kakashi found his hand on Iruka’s shoulder without a thought, almost as if he had had to prove to himself that Iruka was still there. The older man took a breath before he sent Iruka back to the village, Kakashi knew the ANBU were already on their way and it would be best to get Naruto to a hospital quick. 

He would check on Iruka later. 

\---

“You don’t have to be more strict, you know?” Teuchi paused as he heard Naruto’s voice, the kid’s voice cracking as he was clearly whining to someone. 

“If you’re going to complain than I’m not buying you ramen.” 

Teuchi smiled as sure enough Iruka lifted up the flap, Naruto pouting as he made his way to his stool. Iruka smiled at the older man. “Two bowls of ramen, please!” 

“Yes!” Naruto was smiling again, before he turned to the man. “It’s really your treat?”

“I said I would pay for it.” Iruka laughed his hand lifting up as if to ruffle the boy’s hair before it paused and went back to his side. Teuchi smiled as he watched the two, Naruto saying stuff that would upset most people while Iruka shot him down at every turn. 

Ayame paused as she saw the two of them together before she made her way over to her dad with the veggies that he had asked for. “Need anything else, pops?” 

“Nah, you can call it a night.” Teuchi messed with his daughter's hair before she huffed off to her room. He turned back around to see Iruka enjoying his ramen while Naruto stared at the man as if he had never seen something like him before. 

The boy’s eyes seemed a bit glossy as they watch the young teacher before Iruka paused in his slurping to look at the boy. Naruto’s cheeks went pink as he turned and started eating his ramen quickly, pretending as if he hadn’t been staring at the teacher. 

Teuchi just smiled at the pair as he went back to cleaning dishes. 

They would figure it out eventually. 

\---

Iruka had barely made it in his apartment before arms were around him. The teen paused as he let Kakashi hold him, he had thought he felt the man’s chakra as he had unlocked the door but he hadn’t expected to be held like this. 

“Kakashi?” Iruka turned so that he was facing Kakashi, he reached for the light but Kakashi’s hand stopped him before his mouth was over the chunin’s. Iruka hummed at the contact, letting Kakashi shove him back into the room. The broke for air and Kakashi was unzipping Iruka’s vest. “Kakashi, what--?”

“It’s Friday.” Kakashi let his eye meet Iruka’s and smiled in the darkness, knowing that Iruka wouldn’t be able to truly see it. “And you scared me today.”

Iruka lifted his hand so that it was on the back of Kakashi’s neck and pulled the jonin to him in a biting kiss. Kakashi hissed as Iruka got his bottom lip but then Iruka soothed it with his tongue as continue to pulled them towards the bed. Iruka fell back on the mattress, pulling the other man with him. 

“It is Friday.” Iruka whispered against the older man’s lips. He let his teeth scrape against Kakashi’s jaw before he kissed the man again. “And you saved Naruto’s life today.”

“No.” Kakashi pushed Iruka down on the mattress. “You saved Naruto’s life...I was just backup.” 

Iruka was smiling at him like Kakashi was amazing and the jonin didn’t know if he liked that look or not. Kakashi wasn’t amazing, he was just a man and Iruka was so much more than that. Kakashi wondered if the chunin knew how amazing he was. If Iruka fully understood the strength he had inside him. Then Iruka stretched back pulling off his shirt and vest before throwing them to the floor and laying back on the mattress as he started undoing his pants. 

Kakashi decided that he very much approved of this look. 

All the approval. 

“You have me for the weekend.” Iruka whispered with a smirk. “I believed you made a promise about being thorough.”

It didn’t take long for Kakashi to remove his cloths after that. Iruka was already pulling out lube from under his pillow, where Kakashi knew the teen also kept his kunai, and Kakashi was going to tell Iruka how hot he found that later. First he was going to see how many times he could make Iruka come before the sun rose. 

“Want me to?” Iruka opened the cap, clearly ready to put oil on his own fingers but Kakashi took it from his hands and lathered up his own fingers. Iruka sat up at that with a smile. “This works too.”

“I promised to be thorough.” Kakashi kissed Iruka’s lips one more time before he started to move down the teen’s body. Enjoy how Iruka gasped when he bit one nipple then move to suck on the other. He slick hand moving to Iruka’s erection as he start to jerk the younger man off. “But I want you to come first.”

“Won’t...be...long.” Iruka gasped as Kakashi twisted his wrist and the teen through his head back, showing his tan next to Kakashi and the jonin decided to partake. His bit down softly before sucking and Iruka tensed under him as the teen came hard. “Kakashi!” 

Kakashi smirked as he sat up, watching how Iruka blinked slowly up at him before he kissed the teen again. He kept the kiss slow, letting Iruka deepen it as he controlled the speed. He smiled down at the chunin before he started kissing his way down Iruka’s body, finding the teen’s spent cock before he kissed it’s head and then licked down the shaft while Iruka swore at him. 

“Kakashi...please…” Iruka tried but the older man continued his path down before he went back up, this time swallowing the teen’s cock in his mouth as he sucked down on it. Iruka made that keening noise that Kakashi was beginning to love and the jonin sucked harder, enjoying how it felt to feel Iruka filling out in his mouth. 

He continued his ministrations before he popped the erection out of his mouth and blew on it. He was prepared for Iruka to make an embarrassing noise but he hadn’t been prepared for Iruka’s knees gripping Kakashi’s head as the pulled the other man up to Iruka’s face, the teen bending himself in half until they were staring at each other. 

“I want you inside me.” Iruka loosened his knees grabbed onto Kakashi’s hair with his hands as he pulled the jonin into a kiss. “Now.” 

Kakashi felt like he was about to explode. 

“Yes, sensei.” Kakashi groaned, Iruka’s face going red at the words but Kakashi silenced any protest with a kiss before he went down a again. He slicked his fingers quickly and sucked Iruka down again, this time pushing a finger in at the same time so that the teen gasped under him. 

“Dammit.” Iruka swore as he felt another finger stretch him open, he bit his lip and grabbed onto the sheets. He wanted to see what Kakashi was doing but he knew if glanced up then he would come again and Iruka didn’t think he had it in him for a third time. 

Unless Kakashi was trying to kill him. 

“Kakashi, please.” Iruka tried a different tactic. He reached up to loosen his hair from the ponytail and reached to pull the man over him again. “Please…” 

“Not fair, sensei.” Kakashi groaned as he kissed Iruka again, still working his fingers inside Iruka, while he tried to devour the chunin. “Just a little longer…”

“Kakashi…” Iruka groaned, widening his legs before he wrapped them around the man’s waist. Kakashi only had a moment before suddenly the older man was on his back and Iruka was pinning the jonin’s hands above his head. Iruka was breathless as he smiled down at Kakashi. “I asked nicely…” 

Kakashi just blinked at him, not moving his hands as Iruka sat back. The chunin grabbing Kakashi’s erection as he lined it up with his entrance. Iruka took a breath as he slowly lowered himself on Kakashi, gasping as he got the head in before he groaned. 

Kakashi didn’t need more permission than that as he placed his hands on Iruka’s thighs, rubbing the teens leg’s up and down as he felt Iruka take more of him in. 

He was never going to be able to read chapter 26 of Icha Icha Paradise in public ever again. Not without thinking of this moment from now on. 

“So good.” Iruka sighed as he finally seated himself fully. Iruka’s hips were making a rocking motion that Kakashi found vulgar and just plain torture all at the same time. 

“Iruka-sensei…” Kakashi lifted his hips up a bit to test the waters and Iruka choked out a groan, his eyes going wide before he looked as Kakashi. The teen smiled down at the jonin beneath him and Kakashi didn’t know if he should start begging or praying. “Sensei…”

“Should I give you a title, Kakashi?” Iruka hummed as he started to meet Kakashi’s small thrusts. “What would you like to be called?”

Kakashi didn’t care, not with Iruka squeezing him so tightly in his body. Kakashi was about to say so but then Iruka started to speed up the pace. Kakashi let his head hit the back of the mattress, realizing how close he was to the edge of the bed. The jonin took a deep breath before he pushed himself up, grabbing Iruka’s neck to pull the chunin into a kiss as he rolled them over. 

“Iruka.” Kakashi let his thumbs press against Iruka’s scar as the teen stared up at him. “I think I like you.” 

And the scary thing was that Kakashi did. He did like Iruka. 

He was terrified. 

Iruka smiled at that, pulling Kakashi into another kiss as he wrapped his legs around Kakashi’s waist before he sucked a mark on Kakashi’s neck. “I think I like you, too.” 

Kakashi felt like an idiot as he smiled at that, he didn’t have too much time to worry about whatever expression he was making because he pressing into Iruka again. Thrusting hard as he grabbed the teen’s hips so that Iruka was meeting him with every thrust. 

They weren’t going to last much longer. 

“Kakashi-sama!” Iruka cried out and Kakashi felt like he had been punched in the gut as he came. The older man blinking in surprise as he tensed, moving his hips as he spent himself inside Iruka. 

He grabbed Iruka’s erection and stroked it, swearing at the teen under him as he did. Iruka didn’t seem to mind as he pressed himself against Kakashi before he was coming between them. The both gasped into each other’s mouths as they tried to catch their breath. 

Iruka let out a sigh as Kakashi slid out of him. He reached over to pull the older man into another kiss. “I’ll give you a passing score.”

Kakashi found himself smiling into Iruka’s neck. “Thanks, sensei.” 

If they both started laughing afterwards, it was okay. 

Iruka had never heard Kakashi laugh before and found that he wanted to make it happen more. He smiled at the other man, he could see the silver of his hair from the light outside the windows and Iruka realized that he could probably get used to going to sleep like this. 

Kakashi sighed as he pulled the younger man closer to him. He wondered if Iruka could feel how fast his heart was beating but decided to just let it be. 

Iruka was safe. 

That’s all that mattered. 

\---

“GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!” 

Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza all paused outside the main building that was attached to the school and looked up. They heard some laughter and then a shout of surprise before Iruka’s voice carried outside of the building one more time. “PUT THAT DOWN!” 

Inoichi rubbed his nose as his two friends gave him a look. “Well it seems he’s doing a good job with his class?”

“Sounds abusive.” Shikaku muttered before Yoshino came out of the building with a smile. She pulled her husband to her with a quick kiss before she looked at the other men. 

“You all look scared.” She laughed before there was more shouting from Iruka and she started laughing. “You’re scared of Iruka-sensei?”

“Are you sure he can handle his class?” Inoichi tried and Yoshino swatted him away. 

“Are you kidding me? He’s already a favorite across the classes. The young sensei who will chase you down the hall--the teachers love him and the students can’t decide if they should fear him or grow up to be just like him.” Yoshino glanced back at the school. “The only reason I can retire from teaching and go back to active duty is because Iruka is here.”

“We’re glad to have you back.” Choza laughed as he hit Yoshino on the back making her stumble a bit before she glared at him. 

“IDIOTS! THOSE ARE SHARP!” 

All the parents glanced at each other with slight blushes as they realized that one of their kids could be the idiot that Iruka was yelling at. 

“At least he’s having fun?” Inoichi tried to smile. 

\---

The mission room was stifling hot, Iruka didn’t know why he had told Mizuki he would cover for him but somehow the chunin found himself behind a desk with a really long line. It’s not like between school and weekend missions that he had much free time to himself but it wasn’t like he could turn Mizuki down. 

Tsubaki and MIzuki were house hunting and this was the first afternoon that Tsubaki had been free for the past three weeks. 

Iruka figured he would get his friends to pay him back for this later. Maybe they could treat him to ramen, though recently Mizuki was swearing the stuff off. 

Iruka sighed. 

“Maa, sensei.” Kakashi’s voice had Iruka sitting up in surprise. “My report can’t be that bad.”

“No!” Iruka blushed as he took the scroll that Kakashi was handing him. “I mean, of course not, Kakashi-san.”

“Oooh, you got a san.” Genma leaned against Kakashi’s side and smirked at the pair of them. “Did you piss Iruka-sensei off?”

“For the last time, respectful honorifics are not a sign that I’m mad!” Iruka hissed at Genma. “I would use them for you but--”

“He doesn’t respect you.” Hayate coughed as he also put his scroll on Iruka’s desk. Genma spluttered in indignation and Iruka ignored the light haired man as he turned to Kakashi again. 

“You’re good to go.” Iruka gave Kakashi a smile. “Sorry for the wait.”

“I’ll always wait for you, sensei.” Kakashi curved his eye and Iruka found himself blushing. Iruka wanted to ask the older man to come over again, maybe they could grab dinner and watch a movie, but Kakashi was already turning towards the door. 

He sighed, a bit longingly if he ever admitted it, before he realized that Hayate and Genma were still in front of him. He didn’t bother turning to them and instead opened Hayate’s scroll. 

“Iruka…” Genma’s voice was amused and Iruka was definitely not looking up. 

“And you’re both good to go!” Iruka didn’t really read the scroll. Just stamped it and found himself smiling at the both of them, hoping they would just walk away. “Thank you for your hard work.”

“Oh no you don’t!” Genma laughed. “Drinks, now.”

“I work until close.” Iruka stated politely before he waved the next shinobi up. 

“After!” Genma tried but Hayate was already pulling him away. 

Iruka felt his face heat up as he tried to think of a different way out of the building. He would have to be quick if he was going to escape both of them but he could do it. 

He was not ready for this conversation. 

At the very least, it was something he should talk to Kakashi about first. Their friendship...relationship...whatever it was. It was not something Iruka should be discussing with other people until he had a chance to talk to the jonin first. 

And maybe, if he was lucky, Genma and Hayate would forget all about this. 

\---

“Sasuke-kun!”

Sasuke didn’t dare turn around as he turned in the hall and ran into the first room he could find. He didn’t understand why the girls in his class always wanted to be around him, but he understood one thing very clearly. 

Sasuke did not like girls. 

Girls were weird. 

“Sasuke-kun, everything alright?” Sasuke turned from the door to see Iruka-sensei sitting at a round desk and realized that he was in the teacher’s lounge. He felt himself blush a little with embarrassment before he spotted two blue eyes that were glaring at him. 

If there was one thing that Sasuke didn’t like even more than girls than it was this kid. 

Naruto. 

“Che.” Sasuke clenched his jaw at the sight of the blond. 

“What’s your problem?!” Naruto yelled before getting whapped on the head by Iruka-sensei. “Sensei--”

“Don’t yell or I’ll send you outside.” Iruka-sensei tutted at the other kid and Sasuke found himself pouting at their interaction. There was something about it that bothered him. 

“Sasuke-kun, don’t be late to your next class.” Iruka smiled and Sasuke sighed. “I think the girls already passed so you should be good to go.” 

Sasuke nodded in thanks before ignoring Naruto completely and making his way back into the hall. Iruka-sensei was right, the girls had already moved on and Sasuke found himself letting out a breath of relief. Iruka-sensei was a good teacher, he was the first that stuck around and somehow had gotten Naruto to take classes more seriously which was better for everyone. 

Sasuke had been afraid that he would never catch up to his brother if the teachers had kept leaving. 

His brother. 

Sasuke bit his lip as he made his way down the hall. His brother had been acting weird recently and it had Sasuke worried. He wanted to ask his mom about it but for some reason he couldn’t find the words when it was just the two of them. 

Maybe he would try again in the morning. 

“Loser!” Sasuke felt himself get shoved to the side before Naruto was running by. The blonde sticking out his tongue before he laughed maniacally down the hall. “Nyeh!” 

“Naruto!” Iruka-sensei yelled after the blond before he let out a sigh and looked over at Sasuke. “Are you okay?”

“That wouldn’t hurt me.” Sasuke huffed before he turned to look up at his teacher who seemed more warm than angry at the sight of his student jumping out of a window. 

Oh. 

That’s what it was. 

Sasuke turned his back to the hall and made his way to the classroom. The bell would ring soon and he didn’t want to seem weird to Iruka-sensei. It was just that--

Sasuke found himself frowning. 

He had never seen an adult look at Naruto that way...if they even looked at the blond at all. Sasuke had thought that maybe his classmate had done something to be branded such a nuisance but no one else seemed to know what it could have been. 

Just that everyone hated Naruto, it was just what the adults did. 

But Iruka-sensei didn’t seem to hate Naruto. 

Sasuke opened the door to his classroom and sighed as the girls all waved at him. He didn’t need to waste anymore thoughts on Naruto or his sensei, there was class and then maybe he could get his brother to train with him when he got home.

\---

“--and then, if you can believe it, the idiot ran into a wall!” Anko laughed loudly as she leaned over Ibiki so that she could tell the table her tale. Ibiki didn’t seem to mind, but Kakashi still hadn’t figured out to read the man’s frowns. 

Kakashi turned his head to Iruka laughing with his hand over his mouth as if it would help him keep the noise in. Iruka’s cheeks were flushed from drink and all the embarrassing stories Anko was telling about anyone she had them on. It had started with Genma talking about how no one had any dirt on him and Anko then deciding that she wanted to prove that she had dirt on everyone. 

It was very entertaining. 

Kakashi’s eyes caught Kurenai’s and he met her knowing smirk with a bored glance. This wasn’t the first time that Kakashi and Iruka had ended up at a gathering together since they had...expanded their friendship...but it had been the first time in a while and Kakashi had forgotten how crowded these things got. 

The Korean BBQ joint was busy, the grills lit up all around them that made the air hot. It wasn’t bad, the smells of different meats and different types of drink filling the senses. 

Iruka’s hand brushed against Kakashi’s under the table, their fingers sliding together before Iruka reached up to grab some more meat. Kakashi felt like his whole body was on fire and he didn’t bother giving Kurenai another glance when he could make Iruka’s eyes meet his to share a small smile before one of them got pulled into another conversation. 

They weren’t hiding what they were, that would have been a stupidly difficult task in this village. Between Ebisu, Kurenai, and Genma, this village was nothing but gossips. Honestly, Anko was the worst of them all put together, because she would actually make up her own rumors just to test the waters...and sometimes they came true. 

She was a little scary sometimes. 

“What about that one time that Kakashi and Gai had their body painting competition?” Genma spoke loudly as he kept his eyes on Kakashi even though he was addressing Anko. 

Kakashi would end him one day. 

“Oh yeah!” Anko laughed loudly before she pointed at Iruka with a wink. “You might need to cover your eyes for this one, sensei.”

Iruka flushed at that, his face turning to Kakashi as if to ask why she would say such a thing. Kakashi watched Iruka’s mind whir pass the possibilities before jumping to a conclusion that the sensei didn’t like. Iruka spluttered a bit before he shook his head at everyone at the table. “I don’t want to know.”

“But there was so much nudity!” Anko smiled as if that was her key selling point. 

Kakashi remembered everything that had happened that day, there would have been much more interesting selling points if she looked for them. LIke the fact that it hadn’t been Kakashi and Gai who had been naked...but he wasn’t going to help her on this one. 

“I’m good.” Iruka stated seriously, giving her a glare before he finished his beer and turned to Gai who had been sitting at the other side of him. “I really don’t want to know which one of you suggested body painting as a challenge either.”

Kakashi and Gai both started to say something but then Iruka got to his feet. He steadied himself on Kakashi’s shoulder, his fingers playing with the hair above Kakashi’s collar before the teacher waved at everyone. “It’s a school night.”

There was a chorus of boos and a couple of rude words thrown at the sensei and Kakashi let his fingers brush against Iruka’s ankle before the man made his way out. He made sure to drop of money with Ebisu before he left and gave another wave before he disappeared. 

Kakashi didn’t hear another word that was said at the table. He pulled out his book, something that he had promised to not read so openly around Iruka, before he let himself lean back and just enjoy the company. Tonight might be a school night but the weekend would come soon enough. 

\---

Iruka stared at the test in front of him and tried to make sense of the words written on the page. The handwriting was bad, true, but Iruka had seen worse in the mission room so he figured Naruto would fit right in when he became a fully fledged shinobi, only…

“He’s an idiot.” Iruka sighed as he read the answers again. 

This is what happened when teachers ignored a troublesome students for 2 years. Naruto was definitely behind his classmates when it came to practical knowledge. Then again, the blonde could barely keep his eyes open long enough class without falling asleep in a lesson. Naruto had definitely gotten more attentive since they had their talk but that didn’t correct years of bad behavior. 

At least Iruka had been a prankster himself as a child, so far Naruto hadn’t thrown anything at him that he couldn’t counter two-fold. 

And Iruka yelling at the other Naruto had gotten a better response from his classmates as well. Iruka already knew who the troublemakers were going to be in his class and he had a feeling that it wouldn’t take too long before they banded together. 

He would have to prepare. 

There was a knock at the door that had Iruka pushing his chair away from the table. Hiruma and Namaiki were on an ANBU mission and that meant that Konohamaru was staying with him for the time being. The young teacher had a moment of hope that it might be his silver haired friend but when he opened the door it was to Ebisu’s frowning face. 

“I don’t know why he can’t stay at the Sarutobi estate.” Ebisu let himself in, carrying an already sleeping Konohamaru in his arms. “It’s closer to where I live.” 

“His parents like to come home to him, it’s just easier that he’s across the hall instead of several blocks away.” Iruka laughed as he took the sleeping child out of Ebisu’s hold and took Konohamaru over to the bed. Iruka’s apartment was small, so Iruka gave his bed to Konohamaru on these long missions and would sleep on the couch for however long. 

It was kind of nice not living alone, for however short of a time. 

“This kid is a moron.” Iruka finished tucking Konohamaru in and turned to see Ebisu holding up Naruto’s test. 

“He’s still young, he’ll get it.” Iruka sighed as he went over and took the paper out of Ebisu’s hand. The man just scoffed before sighing. “Did you want to stay for tea?” 

“No, I have to head back.” Ebisu rubbed the back of his head and seemed to be trying to decided whether or not to say something or not. Iruka waited patiently but nothing came so he just walked the other man to the door. 

“How is Konohamaru doing?” Iruka tried. 

“The Hokage’s honorable grandson will definitely be leagues in front of his peers.” Ebisu huffed, puffing out his chest with pride. “He’s a smart kid.” 

“You’re a good teacher.” Iruka laughed as he let Ebisu out. They talked about teaching for a bit before Ebisu said his goodbye and Iruka just sighed. 

He was tired. 

There was a slight snore coming from the bed and Iruka found himself shaking his head at that. He would finish grading the tests and then he could go to bed. 

Maybe he could loan Naruto some study material to help out before the next test. 

\---

“Hokage-sama.” Iruka sighed as the old man continued to laugh at him. He really didn’t see what was so funny. 

“Just hearing you complain about the pranks of your students reminds me of a certain young boy who used to cause havoc around the village.” The Hokage let out another laughed before taking a breath and reaching for his tea. “Teaching suits you.”

Iruka smiled at that before Iruka remembered why he was here in the first place. “Hokage-sama, I wanted to talk to you about the white chest that I brought back from Uzutoshi.” 

“Oh?” The old man hummed. 

“It’s in storage, but recently I’ve realized that it is probably cursed.” Iruka rubbed the back of his head. “I’ve been trying to decide if I should try to figure out the curse or if I should turn it into the specialists...but…”

The Hokage blinked a few times before he smiled. “But it was something you found in your parents’ home.” 

Iruka flushed a little as he rubbed his scar. “I know that you took the scrolls and objects that my parents kept at the house...the ones that survived the fire.” 

“Let me explain something to you, Iruka-sensei.” The Hokage still couldn’t hide the smile that formed on his lips every time he said sensei. “This won’t come as a surprise but your parents were very important to the village.”

Iruka nodded at that, his face getting a little wistful. 

“Their families were also very important to Uzushio.” The Hokage reached for his pipe this time. He took his time to repack it as he continued. “The Umino clan were considered the backbone to their village and with that they handled all sorts of dangerous objects and information. It was only Konoha’s strong bond with Uzushio that allowed your father to move here with the objects that he had come with.”

Iruka sat back a bit at that, trying to think back on anything his father had around their home that could have been important but couldn’t think of it. “Why are they so dangerous?”

“Do you know why Uzushio was destroyed?” The Hokage met Iruka’s eyes, clearly looking for a reaction. “Fūinjutsu.” 

“Their sealing techniques?” Iruka rubbed his jaw then with a frown before he nodded. “Father had a great understanding of seals, I remember people often coming to the house for his help.” 

“That’s right. You’ve also shown a knack for it yourself, not as powerful as your father but could be if you put in the work.” The Hokage lit his pipe. “Ikkaku also had a good hand when it came to curses, which is why when Uzushio began to fear their destruction, they sent your father here with some of their secrets. Your father kept most of them in my library if you ever want to take a look.” 

The Hokage hummed a bit as he put his pipe to his mouth. “I remember when your father started getting a reputation outside the village...that’s when the break-ins started to happen.” 

“Break-ins?” Iruka blinked. “Like that time with Jiraiya-sama?” 

“Oh?” The Hokage blinked before he laughed with a nod. “Yes! That was one of the later ones, it had been a few years so we had hoped that the break ins were over. Just for-hire thugs looking to get cursed objects. There was a huge demand after Uzushio’s demise but as time passed and the survivors spread out further and further, well, no one has broken into your home have they?”

“No.” Iruka laughed before he shrugged, “And unless they were looking for tests then they would be disappointed.” 

“Tests and that chest.” The Hokage reminded Iruka who went a little pink. 

Iruka rubbed his scar thinking about the chest...and his mother’s collection of scrolls. Iruka had often wondered how he had gotten to keep her scrolls but the more he read them the more he realized that they appeared like just average training scrolls. They had probably been deemed harmless. 

Iruka wasn’t going to bring anything forward until he finished learning her genjutsu. Then he would turn them in. 

“I’ll test the chest out myself, if the curse seems too strong then I’ll bring it to you.” Iruka nodded as he took a sip of his tea. “Now, did you want to beat me at a game of shogi?”

The Hokage smiled around his pipe before he nodded. 

\---

Anko sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck. 

She was an idiot. It was her day off and she was trailing behind an engaged couple like a stalker, but should couldn’t help the itching under her skin every time she saw Mizuki. 

There was something about him that made her tense. 

She eyed the man has he laughed at something Tsubaki said, both the chunin were clearly in love as they playfully argued over which restaurant to eat at. Anko eyed Tsubaki for a moment, they had gotten closer over the years and she knew that the other woman wanted to be even better friends but Anko couldn’t do it. 

She would just use Tsubaki to watch Mizuki and it wasn’t right. 

Anko respected her more than that. 

“You too?” Anko jumped at the voice beside her and found Tsume Inuzuka sitting next to her. Anko found herself sitting up straighter before Tsume’s hand was on her shoulder and the older woman was laughing. “Don’t look so tense!” 

“Ma, you’re scaring her.” There was a kid picking his nose as he glanced at Anko before turning to his mom. “Can I go see Pa now?” 

“Kiba, you mutt.” Tsume ruffled the kid’s hair roughly and Anko felt a little bad for Tsume’s son. “The coward is at his shop, give him my love.” 

“No way!” The kid growled, “He’ll just get scared again and then go traveling again, I would like my old man to be around when I graduate the academy, got it?”

“Brat!” Tsume yelled after her son with a smile and the kid huffed before he disappeared down the street. The older woman seemed fond for a moment before she turned her attention back to Anko, who was a little confused about what was happening. “Why are you watching Mizuki?”

“I--” Anko started but was silenced with a glare. Anko took a breath before she glared right back. “I’ve known Mizuki since we were in the Academy and he’s changed. I don’t know what’s happened but he’s--” 

“I know.” Tsume’s voice was low and serious and it silenced Anko. Tsume took a breath before she shook her head. “You don’t have to believe me but I know...but he’s not a traitor.” 

Anko bit her lip at that, he wanted to scratch her neck but didn’t want to give the tell away. Tsume seemed to understand and took a deep breath before she got Anko to meet her eyes. “He’s been formally investigated, the Hokage himself has found nothing wrong with Mizuki.” 

Anko didn’t know what to say to that. She knew she had already been overstepping for some time and it Tsume was being nice by having this conversation in private instead of making a formal complaint out of it. She didn’t like Mizuki, she didn’t think she would ever be able to shake the feeling that he gave her but Tsume was right. 

Mizuki hadn’t done anything wrong. 

Anko needed to stop. 

“Want to get a drink?” Anko smiled at the other woman, she knew it was forced and didn’t quite each her eyes but Tsume just laughed and nodded. “You’re paying.”

“You’ve got some brass.” Tsume pulled Anko from their spot and they made their way to the nearest bar. “I like it.”

\---

Kakashi hadn’t even made it two steps into Iruka’s apartment before his mask had been tugged down and he had a chunin attacking his face. 

He was not complaining. 

He was also less paranoid about Iruka seeing his face, though he knew that the chunin had seen it a few times now. Most cases due to Kakashi wanting to blow his sensei during the day if he happened to find Iruka in a secluded space -- something Iruka would yell at him for later even though he would get into it at the time. Either way, Kakashi hadn’t grabbed Iruka’s wrists or reacted negatively to Iruka touching his face, as long as they were in Iruka’s apartment. 

It was a safe place. 

“I’m going to fuck you.” Iruka bit Kakashi’s ear before Kakashi could respond to that statement and Kakashi didn’t need to be told twice as he started taking off his clothes. 

He loved it when Iruka got like this. 

Their relationship was already a little unconventional, Kakashi was always busy with missions and Iruka had his class of students and was still taking missions on the weekend. Sometimes Kakashi would think about asking Iruka to take a week off and they could go somewhere to take their time. Sure, they still met up with friends, and they weren’t really telling people about their relationship because really nothing had changed. 

They were friends. 

Who liked to sleep together. 

Kakashi tried not to come in his pants when he felt Iruka’s fingers inside him. The teacher had a filthy mouth that would make Jiraiya blush and Kakashi knew it was only going to be a matter of before he came and he would like to wait for Iruka to be inside of him. 

“Why are you so beautiful?” Iruka’s words sounded like a curse and Kakashi turned so that he could face the chunin as he reached back to pull Iruka into another kiss. 

“You’re the pretty one.” Kakashi laughed as he laid back on the mattress, Iruka’s face was blushing adorably as the chunin stared down at him. “Sensei, you should fuck me now.”

“Kakashi--” The way Iruka said his name was like a prayer and Kakashi didn’t want to think too much on that. He just smirked as he spread his legs for the younger man. They always fit so nicely together. 

So far it had only been two months of great sex and Kakashi wondered when the talk was going to come. He wondered if Iruka was okay with the way things were or if the chunin would want more. 

More than anything else, Kakashi wanted to know if he could give Iruka more. 

Right now, with Iruka filling him up so nicely, Kakashi would probably give Iruka anything he asked for. He pulled Iruka’s hair to have access to the tan neck and Kakashi took a bite, enjoying how Iruka tensed over him with a groan. 

They were good at this. 

“Iruka-sensei…” Kakashi grabbed the chunin’s face, letting his thumbs rub against Iruka’s scar as he stared up at the other man. “I want to devour you.”

Iruka just smiled at that, his mouth turning into a smirk that was just on the sexy side of devious as he pressed their foreheads together. “Not if I devour you first.” 

And yeah, Kakashi might have a problem. 

He pulled Iruka into another kiss, stopping his mouth from blurting anything out as he felt his heart speed up in his chest. This chunin, this crazy chunin with a great sense of humor and a dirty mouth. 

Kakashi was crazy about him. 

\---

It’s not that Naruto thought that Iruka was going to let him down, but that he knew Iruka was going to realize what a waste of time Naruto was and just go back to ignoring him. Iruka was weird and cared too much but if there was one thing that life had taught Naruto it was this:

You only have yourself. 

And Iruka-sensei had started like the rest of like the adults in this village. 

He was going to turn out no better than that old man. Naruto found himself biting his lip as he curled into a ball on his bed. He had thought he had found a friend in the woods those weeks ago and it had turned out to be Hokage...Naruto had been such an idiot. 

No! 

He wasn’t an idiot. 

It was everyone else in this village that was stupid. He was going to show them, he would become the Hokage and they would see how amazing he truly was and they would regret how cold they treated him. 

They would see. 

Naruto found himself smirking into his pillow. He would be a kind leader, he would let them all be his friend and make sure that no one got left out. Because he was awesome like that. 

Except for Sasuke. 

He would kick Sasuke out of the village. 

It was for the best. 

Naruto laughed a bit before he took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling in his apartment. He needed to get to sleep, needed to get some rest before classes tomorrow. He really wanted to stay awake for a whole day. 

Iruka-sensei would get bored of whatever game he was playing eventually...but Naruto planned to make it last as long as possible. 

\---

Iruka sighed into his pillow, the fingers playing against his skin were only giving him light touches that felt too soft to be a real caress. He felt a smile form on his lips as the fingers skittered over his back before making their way up again. “It’s too early to be awake.” 

The chunin felt Kakashi’s breath of amusement before there were lips on his shoulder. Iruka hummed at the contact before he turned over so that he could look at Kakashi who was still laying in the bed with him. Iruka’s bed was not meant for two people, but they didn’t mind the contact as Iruka let his fingers play up Kakashi’s arm. 

“It’s almost noon.” Kakashi smirked and Iruka wanted to kiss that mouth so he did. 

He didn’t think we would ever be able to not feel giddy every time he got to kiss Kakashi. It had taken several weeks but now the jonin didn’t cover his face in Iruka’s apartment anymore...though Iruka sometimes caught Kakashi hiding his face behind something but the chunin figured it was more out of habit. He didn’t mind, it had taken him a while to realize that Kakashi was shy about his face but it was something the teacher found adorable. 

“Today is our day off, it means we get to stay in bed all day.” Iruka explained in a way that reminded him of his lessons he gave at the school. He leaned forward so that he was staring Kakashi in the eye, the other man wearing an eye patch that made him look like a very attractive pirate. 

“Maa, sensei.” Kakashi pulled Iruka to him and they both stretched out. Trying to see how much skin to skin contact they could have at once while getting comfortable in the bed. 

It was nice. 

This was really nice. 

Whatever it was. 

Iruka wanted to call Kakashi his boyfriend. He had wanted to call Kakashi his lover, his something...but even in moments like this, this peacefulness that would be great for what should be an easy conversation, Iruka found himself biting his lip. It had almost been three months now and if they hadn’t needed to define themselves yet then why should they bother now?

They were friends. 

They were really close friends. 

“You’re thinking too hard.” Kakashi placed a kiss on Iruka’s forehead that had the chunin relaxing. “I clearly didn’t tire you out last night, for your mind to be working on overtime already.” 

“Maa,” Iruka mocked Kakashi’s bored voice as he pushed himself up a little so he could smirk down at the jonin. “Maybe you’ll just have to try again after lunch.”

“After lunch?” Kakashi actually seemed to be considering it before he rolled them both over and was smiling down at Iruka who was already blushing at how quick his body was responding to the position. “We should work up an appetite first, don’t you think? Sensei?”

Iruka just smiled at that as he pulled Kakashi down into a kiss. 

He would worry about the other stuff later. 

\---

“How is your team doing?” Kakashi asked as Crow came into the room. 

Itachi had grown in his time in ANBU, though if Kakashi really thought about it then he had too. The jonin found himself smiling to himself a bit as he remembered small he had been when he had joined the ANBU...it had been a long time ago. 

“Fine.” Crow’s voice was flat and Kakashi found himself frowning under his mask. 

There was that feeling again, that something was wrong but he didn’t know what it was. It was just a gut feeling...and Kakashi’s gut was usually never wrong. 

Last time he had brought up his concerns, the Hokage had dismissed him and Kakashi understood that there were some things even someone like him would not know. There was a moment of silence as Itachi handed over his report after Kakashi had handed in his, the two giving each other a nod before they made their way out. 

Kakashi took a breath. 

He didn’t need to worry. He had worked with Itachi for years, had taught the ANBU everything he could and he knew the kind of man Itachi was. 

And if Kakashi was really worried, he could just go to the Hokage again. 

\---

“This is truly a test of wits!” Gai’s voice boomed across the field and Kurenai couldn’t help but roll her eyes. 

Sparring was not a battle of the wits, even if they had their legs tied together. 

Actually, especially if they had their legs tied together. They both looked like giant idiots hopping around and punching each other. Next time Kurenai would suggest that they tied their arms as well, then they would look like worms. 

She would have to give Anko a heads up about that one. 

“Oh, Gai!” Kurenai sat back on her place in the grass. Hayate had already fallen asleep in the sun and she would need to wake up him after a while to make sure he didn’t get a sunburn. She smiled as Gai turned to her, getting punched in the back of his head for his distraction. “I heard you were helping at the Academy?”

“Yes!” Gai flipped so that he was on his hands and put more space between himself and Kakashi before he smiled at Kurenai. “They keep a jonin advisor on board every year, I was asked to help out this year.” 

“Ooh?” Kurenai whistled, she was happy for Gai. He would be honored by such a request. 

“I didn’t know that.” Kakashi was on his hands as well as he used his legs to swipe at Gai who managed to dodge just in time. “What do they have you do?”

“Whatever is needed, my rival!” Gai smiled brightly as he managed to kick Kakashi in the stomach just before Kakashi got him in the face. “We have to be wary, there are a lot of talented kids being taught in that school. We’ll all be replaced soon.” 

Gai grunted as his back in the ground, Kakashi looming over him. “You might be, I think I still have a few years.”

“Ah, but you haven’t seen the skill of the teacher's.” Gai smirked as Kakashi straightened and Gai was able to get Kakashi right in the stomach causing his rival to hit the ground beside him. 

“It’s no fun when it’s a draw!” Kurenai shouted from her spot as both Gai and Kakashi glared her way. She just smiled at them both. “What was that about talented teachers, Gai?” 

Gai sat up with a smile. “Oh, yes, I was telling Kakashi about the instructors at the school. I think you both should visit the classes with me one day, I think you both would have a good time.” 

Kurenai was already shaking her head no, she did not enjoy her time at the Academy and did not plan to return. Kakashi surprised them both by shrugging, which was as good as a yes when it came to the jonin. 

They decided to end the duel on a stalemate but Gai couldn’t help but be excited at the chance to show Kakashi around the school. He knew his rival hadn’t been there long and he couldn’t wait to show him all the changes. 

\---

Sakura frowned as she watched her teacher blush horribly. 

She wasn’t sure what was happening but she was pretty sure the visiting jonin was harassing her sensei. Sakura had seen this happen a lot at her mom’s tea shop and knew exactly what to do. 

“Iruka-sensei!” Sakura ran over to her teacher with a smile, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the other man who seemed to be surprised at the sight of her. She made sure to give the stranger a glare before she smiled at her sensei. “Naruto started a fight again, we need you back in class.” 

“What?” Iruka’s voice cracked before he turned to the stranger. “Sorry, Kakashi--I got to--” 

“Run off while you can, sensei.” The stranger, Kakashi, drawled and Sakura glared harder. “We’ll finish this later.” 

Sakura took that for the warning it was and made sure to stick her tongue out at the other man as she dragged Iruka-sensei away. She thought she might have heard the other man laugh at her but she didn’t care as Iruka made it back to their classroom. 

It was only luck that Naruto and Kiba were actually fighting. 

Boys, Sakura sighed, were just too much trouble. 

\---

“Oh man…” Iruka sighed as he let his head hit the desk in the teacher’s lounge. 

To say this had been a long and arduous week would have been an understatement. Iruka was pretty sure he had pissed off one of the gods and they were now taking it out on him. 

The week had started off with Kakashi visiting with Gai at the Academy, which had been such a distraction that Iruka had given out the wrong assignments in his classes. The plus side was that at least Sakura had managed to get the homework correct so he had been able to pass it off as just testing their knowledge, which had made the girl blush happily for the rest of the week. 

Then there had been the parent conferences. 

Oh, Iruka never realized why his teachers had always been on edge during these weeks but now he understood. He wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow he had gotten the class with the worst collection of parents imaginable. 

He had never thought he would get into an argument over what to teach his kids but spent the last three days torn between being polite and yelling. Though the yelling only helped when he knew the parents, and at the very least Ino has seen him verbally take down her dad so now all his students were well behaved. 

He had, however, lost his battle with Tsume, but apparently that had just made Kiba bond with him on a different level. The kid would now pat Iruka on the shoulder every now and then and say something encouraging, as if Kiba truly understood the force of nature his mom was. 

Then there were the parents who hadn’t showed up. 

“Iruka-sensei…” 

Iruka turned to the small voice with a smile. Kimiko Uchiha was an older student that Iruka was currently privately tutoring between his main class’s schedule to help her get back on track with her classmates. She had taken a year off from the Academy after her parents had died on a mission, there had been a lot of gossip about the state of her family's affairs. They had owned a store in the village and Kimiko had taken over after their passing. Kimiko had handled it all with the grace that the Uchiha were known for and had managed to get everything running to the point where she could return to school. 

She was a smart girl and Iruka wanted to go ahead and move her back with her classmates after only a month of lessons. 

But he couldn’t do it without her guardian’s signature. 

Her guardian who turned out to be one of the Uchiha elders that never left the compound. 

“Sensei, are you ready to go?” Kimiko kept her voice light and Iruka smiled at her with a nod. 

“Yep, I have all the paperwork.” Iruka stood up and pulled his bag over his shoulder before he lead her out of the school. It was already late in the afternoon and Iruka felt bad for making her wait this long but at least she was going to be his last meeting. 

“Should we pick up anything for dinner?” Iruka rubbed his scar before he turned to the girl who was walking quietly next to him. She gave him a small shake of the head and Iruka shrugged. Kimiko knew just as he did that Iruka’s trip to the compound would be as quick as possible, things had been getting tense in the Uchiha clan and Iruka had seen some of the effects on his own students. 

Iruka wondered if he would have time to visit Fugaku when he was inside, he knew that he was still an outsider but the man had been cordial to him in the parent meeting a few days ago. The man had maybe said three words the whole time but apparently they were all Sasuke had needed to hear because the boy had actually smiled in the meeting. 

The chunin found himself smiling at that. 

Sasuke was by far his best student, Iruka wondered if the boy would graduate early or if he would wait for his classmates. 

“Sensei…” Kimiko pulled on his sleeve to get his attention. “Do you need to sign in at the main entrance?” 

Iruka paused as he realized they were almost there. He blinked in surprise when he realized that there was no one at the entrance before he remembered the time. It was shift change in Konoha and most likely the same could be said for the Uchiha compound. 

“I don’t want to keep your guardian waiting, I’ll check in when I leave.” Iruka smiled at her and she smiled back brightly as they made their way through the quiet streets. There were a few people running about, everything seemed normal, but Iruka could feel the heavy air swallow him as he made it further and further in. 

It had gotten worse since the last time he had been here. 

So much worse. 

“I’m home!” Kimiko called out and Iruka shouted his greeting only to be met with silence. They both paused for a few moments before Kimiko shrugged and made her way into the house, directing Iruka to the greeting room. “I will go make some tea.” 

“Thank you.” Iruka put his bag on the ground and sat down next to the table. He pulled out the forms that he would need to have signed and let out a breath as he heard Kimiko move around. 

Maybe he would leave as soon as this was done and talk to the Hokage instead of Fugaku, Iruka didn’t think he could stand the air here much longer. 

There was a sound, a lot like metal hitting metal, that had Iruka on his feet. He closed his eyes to concentrate, recognizing the sound of weapons but not sure if it was training or something else before sounds of glass hitting the floor had Iruka flinching. He took off towards the noise wondering if Kimiko had accidentally dropped a cup. Maybe she had burned her hand or something had scared her, maybe--

Iruka turned the corner to find himself staring at a man standing over Kimiko’s dead body. Her eyes stared at the broken glass on the ground as if she had been more concerned with the mess than the fact that Itachi had slashed her throat. 

And the man was Itachi, Iruka’s eyes couldn’t deny it as he took in the scene.

Kimiko had only been ten years old. 

“Iruka-sensei.” Itachi shoved Iruka to the ground, his knees hitting the floor with a thud as the chunin stared up at the teen in front of him. Itachi’s hands grabbed Iruka’s face so that they were making eye contact and Iruka wondered why Itachi’s hands felt so warm. 

This was Itachi--this was Shisui’s cousin--this couldn’t be--

“You weren’t supposed to be here.” Itachi’s voice was like ice and Iruka couldn’t only stare into the red eyes as they seemed to change shape. He clawed at Itachi’s hands, only feeling armor. He tried to tear his eyes away from Itachi’s gaze but he couldn’t move. “Why are you here?”

“I’m sorry.” Iruka whispered as he stared at the Uchiha who stood above him, his body felt like it had frozen and all he could do was stare into Itachi’s eyes. 

The thing was, he was sorry.

Iruka was truly sorry. 

Itachi and Shisui had loved each other like brothers and whatever was going on with Itachi, Iruka couldn’t believe that Itachi would kill members of his clan like this. Not that he had much to go on there, Iruka was pretty sure the wetness he could feel on his leg was Kimiko’s blood. 

“I’m sorry.” Iruka whispered again, and Itachi’s eyes began to spin and suddenly Iruka’s arms fell dead to the side of his body. 

“For the next three days you will live his last moments, over and over again.” Itachi’s voice faded and Iruka didn’t know what was happening except for suddenly the world was red. 

It was red and it was spinning and Iruka felt like his whole body was on fire. 

And then he was on a cliff. 

“We can’t stop the coup d’etat.” Iruka felt like he was opening his eyes for the first time as he stared at Shisui. 

Shisui. 

“Shisui.” Iruka spoke but he couldn’t hear his own voice as he tried to walk over to the man that he had loved. Shisui was missing an eye and he looked like he had been in a fight, Iruka could tell that there was more damage under the armor that Shisui was wearing and felt tears begin to roll down his cheeks. “Shisui, what happened?”

The whole world seemed to flicker in and out for a second and suddenly Shisui was smiling at him. Both of his eyes were missing now, blood streaming down his face as he smiled. 

“Itachi…” Shisui started. “Tell him…”

And Iruka didn’t bother fighting off the scream that came to his throat as he watched Shisui step off the cliff. 

Then the scene started over. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:   
> -Sex  
> -Canon Violence   
> \- SPOILER -- death of a child at the end that is part of a massacre of a whole clan. 
> 
>  
> 
> So, I hope you guys liked this chapter. It was really hard deciding to end it here but after I wrote it and wrote it...it was the best place to end things. Honestly, I'm still working on the next chapter but if I am able to get it to you sooner I will, but if not then you will get another update next Friday! 
> 
> Also, I'm trying to figure out if I should update the story description. I'm not very good at those, but I feel like I'm not doing this story justice with what I have, haha. So it might update over the weekend.
> 
> Thank you for all the reviews and kudos thus far, really happy so many people like this story. Hope you guys are able to enjoy it to the end!


	11. This House is Falling Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the Uchiha massacre hits everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUICK NOTE!!! 
> 
> You are getting chapter 11 early because I will not be able to post it on Friday. I'm going to be gone at ECCC -- Emerald City Comicon -- and will be too busy running around and working like a mad person, haha. I hope you enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> Next update will be 3/10. 
> 
> Warnings are at the bottom, like always.

\---

There were so many bodies. 

Kakashi stood in the street, staring at the men, women, and children that were laying across the ground. The dirt was stained red with their blood. 

Kakashi wondered if it would be permanent. 

This stain. 

Would the Uchiha compound streets always be red? Would the dirt on the ground become permanently stained with this color. Would the streets forever carry the souls of everyone who died on them in the last few hours?

Itachi. 

Itachi had done this. 

Kakashi took a deep breath as the eye beneath his headband screamed at him. Itachi had done this but Kakashi had let it happen. He had failed Itachi as a leader, he had failed and now the Uchiha clan was gone. 

He had failed Obito again. 

He had killed Obito’s clan. 

“He’s alive!” Yugao’s voice broke through the air and Kakashi found himself stumbling to the form of a child. The kid’s eyes seemed to stare at nothing as he laid listlessly on the ground. Kakashi recognized the boy instantly.

Itachi’s little brother.

Sasuke. 

“Take him to the hospital, do not let anyone know that he is there except for the head doctor and you will never leave his side.” The Hokage left no room for argument as he took in the scene around him before he turned to Kakashi. “Start gathering the bodies, I want a full account of everyone who is here. We have to see if there are any other survivors.” 

Kakashi almost wanted to yell at the man. 

Survivors? 

Itachi had let his brother live but look at the blood on the ground. There could be no other survivors. 

Was it a blessing that Itachi had let Sasuke live or was the last punishment he could give his clan, forcing his own family to live in this world as the last one. 

“Sir.” Kakashi barked before he turned to the ANBU that stood around, waiting for orders. “You heard the Hokage, bring them to the main street and do your best to keep families together. Horse, you go to the front and get a list of visitors. We need to make sure we find everyone.” 

And they were off. 

Kakashi didn’t remember the first house, though he could faintly remembered lifting an old woman that reminded him of Obito’s grandmother off the ground before he went back for the old man that had been her husband. Kakashi barely remembered the fifth house, he had kept the newborn in his mother’s hands as he had placed them next to the other children that had been in the house. 

“Captain.” Tenzo’s voice was cold and it was the only warning he got before he made it into the ninth house. 

There was a girl in the kitchen, her eyes blank as they stared at a broken glass. Her dress, which Kakashi had thought looked new was stained red with the wound to her throat but that wasn’t what made his breath hitch. 

“Iruka--” Kakashi stared at the body that was leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. He tried to force himself to take a step but his body wouldn’t move. Iruka’s eyes were blank as they stared back at him, as if--

“He’s alive.” Tenzo was at Iruka’s side as he moved the teacher’s face so that is was no longer staring at Kakashi. “He’s clearly unders some genju--” 

“Kai.” Kakashi was there in a second, catching Iruka’s body as the teacher collapsed into him. Kakashi held Iruka close, for a second he thought the other man was shaking but it was clear that Iruka was unconscious and it was Kakashi who was shivering. 

He had been so sure. 

So sure that he had killed another one. 

Itachi was his fault and that had almost lead to Iruka’s death. Why...why did Kakashi always lead people to their end. Obito’s eye was crying. Kakashi could feel how is mask soaked in the tears. 

“Get the Hokage.” Kakashi grabbed Tenzo’s arm, not even trying to hide his shivering as he held Iruka with his other arm. “Get--” 

“I can’t.” Tenzo put his hand over Kakashi’s to make sure that his captain was looking at him. “Danzo is here and we don’t want him to know about Iruka.” 

Kakashi almost argued, how could Tenzo know that except for that Kakashi knew it was true. Danzo could not learn of Iruka being here, or his survival, but Kakashi needed to get Iruka to a hospital. 

He had to--

“I’ll take him.” Tenzo caught Kakashi’s attention again. “I will take him to Yugao and give her the same orders the Hokage gave her about the boy. No one else will know except us and the doctor until we can talk to the Hokage.” 

“Do it.” Kakashi barked before he realized he was still holding Iruka tightly to him. 

The teacher looked pale. 

Iruka should have died here tonight. He should have been another body in this compound and yet Itachi had spared him. 

Why? 

Kakashi slowly handed Iruka over, grimacing as he realized he had gotten blood on Iruka’s uniform before he forced himself away. He bent down to pick up the little girl and took a breath as he made his way out. 

Tenzo would take care of Iruka. 

Kakashi would take care of the rest. 

It had to be that way. 

\---

“How is he?”

Inoichi took a deep breath as he turned to the men in the waiting room. They were in a secluded space of the hospital, and the only way into these rooms was through this entranceway which meant that if anyone had wanted to come for the survivors then they wouldn’t make it very far. 

“Sasuke is asleep.” Inoichi tried to fight off his headache before he turned to the Hokage, Shikaku, Choza, and Raido. There was the ANBU with purple hair in the corner, the one that had brought Sasuke here. “I was able to get Iruka to sleep as well, but it took far more persuasion than I’m comfortable with.” 

“So it was Itachi?” Shikaku wasn’t staring at anything and Inoichi wished he could comfort his friend. 

“Yes.” Inoichi turned to the Hokage. “From what I could get out of Iruka’s memories, Iruka was only there to do a follow up on a parent conference.” 

Choza slammed his fist into the wall before the large man crumpled into himself. There was a moment of silence before Inoichi took a breath and turned back to the Hokage. “Sir--” 

“Iruka wasn’t there.” The Hokage spoke firmly. “It was unfortunate but he’s been injured on a C rank mission that he had been too tired to take on.” 

While it was realistic, something that did happen occasionally, it would put Iruka off active duty for three months. A shinobi taking on a mission while neglecting himself was not something taken lightly and Iruka most likely be the part of some rumors. It would definitely prevent him from taking on any extra duties for a while. 

Which was most likely perfect for giving Iruka time to recover from...this. 

“I’ll take care of the paperwork.” Shikaku nodded before turning to Inoichi. “You need to be here when he wakes, make sure he understands.” 

“I will.” Inoichi nodded at everyone before turning to the ANBU. “Report this to the needed parties and then report for duty. The only room you protected tonight was Sasuke’s.” 

She nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke. 

They would need to sneak Iruka to the front to check him in as a regular patient. Word of the massacre would be out in the morning and they needed to have all their pieces in place. 

Choza took a deep breath before he made his way over the Hokage and Raido, the men starting a conversation as they made their way out into the hospital. It would appear to just be a normal round, something that the Hokage did at random hours throughout the day. With Choza at the Hokage’s side, and Raido. Inoichi felt a little better about having the old man walk around. While it was doubtful that Itachi would come for the Hokage after killing his clan, Inoichi did not want to take any chance. 

Inoichi turned to Shikaku to start their story, Inoichi was going to need to know which part of the hospital to officially check Iruka into, what kind of mission would explain this fatigue, and which team they were going to say found their young teacher. Shikaku would know who could be trusted with this sort of detail. 

Unfortunately, the list wasn’t very long. 

\---

Tenzo stared at the man in front of him with a frown. 

Kakashi was packing up his gear for their next mission and Tenzo knew that something was wrong. Kakashi shouldn’t be on this mission, his senpai shouldn’t be taking missions right now but he didn’t know what to say. 

Tenzo didn’t know how to explain to Kakashi that he had to let the darkness out before it ate him whole. With the way that Kakashi had been acting since the incident, it set Tenzo on edge but he didn’t know how to put it into words. 

Iruka had been in the hospital for a week and Tenzo knew that the shinobi had not visited the man once. 

“Are you ready?” Kakashi turned to Tenzo who nodded and then Kakashi took off towards the gate without another word. The younger man took a breath as he stared at his captain and wondered what he should do. 

Kakashi was bearing the weight of the Uchiha massacre. 

Kakashi was blaming himself for every single death...and he was burdening himself with the guilt of the two survivors. 

It wasn’t Kakashi’s fault. But he knew that even if he grabbed the man and yelled it as loud as he could that Kakashi still wouldn’t hear him. It was like Kakashi had closed off and the man that Tenzo had grown to know as a friend was suddenly missing. 

All that was left was a shinobi. 

Tenzo wondered if Kakashi had talked to anyone outside of missions since that night and knew it was a pointless thought. 

Kakashi hadn’t stopped taking missions since they had moved the last body. 

\---

Iruka stared at the door to his hospital room and wondered when he would finally be released. He wanted to go home, he wanted to sleep in his own bed. 

He wanted to find Kakashi. 

Iruka had been put on leave since the incident and while everyone had heard that he had gone through chakra exhaustion from trying to do too many things at once, Iruka wondered how many of his friends actually believed it. 

That was a silly thought. 

Everyone believed it. Everyone who had come to visit him had talked about his schedule. It was only through sheer force of will that he didn’t lose his teaching job, or maybe it was the fact that no one wanted to be Naruto’s teacher, either way Iruka was glad he had held onto that. 

No more missions for three months. 

No more mission desk duty. 

He only had school and his weekly teas with the Hokage. The teacher curled in on himself as he took a deep breath and tried to picture what it would be like outside of the doors. 

He needed to get out of here. 

“No running!” There was a shout and suddenly some sort of commotion outside of Iruka’s door that had the teacher sitting up. He thought he heard the noise run by but suddenly the door was sliding open and slamming shut as a head of blond hair made its way into Iruka’s room. There was more noise in the hallway and then Naruto was turning to him with a smile as he pointed his thumb back at the door. 

“Like those idiots could ever catch me!” The blond smiled brightly, his eyes going wide at the sight of Iruka before he ran over. 

Iruka almost expected the boy to grab him but Naruto seemed to stop himself as he shoved his hands into his pockets and stared up at Iruka. “Are you okay? They told us that you got hurt and gave us this mean sub who is really boring and falls for all my pranks.” 

“Naruto-kun.” Iruka didn’t bother to hide his smile at the blond before he realized what Naruto had said and frowned. “Now, pranks in my classroom--”

“He’s really boring, though!” Naruto whined as he sat in the stool by Iruka’s bed. “And he never calls on me, he’s mean and boring!” 

Iruka just let out a laugh and reached over the ruffle the blonde’s hair. Iruka would blame the fact that he hadn’t much visitors later, but he was genuinely happy to have Naruto in his room and didn’t bother to hide the fact with a smile. “Are you studying?”

Naruto blushed and looked away, Iruka laughed again. 

“I thought the book I gave you was helping.” Iruka tried and he was surprised to see Naruto nodding at that. 

“It has! I actually knew some of the answers in class this time!” Naruto smiled proudly before he wrinkled his nose at the room. “This place smells weird.” 

Iruka nodded in agreement before he shrugged. “This is what happens when you don’t take care of yourself.” 

“Are they at least giving you ramen?” Naruto asked with a seriousness that had Iruka feeling fond for the boy again. Iruka shook his head and Naruto looked offended, as if the hospital had been torturing Iruka. 

Iruka was surprised with how long Naruto stayed, even as they talked about school and what kind of missions Iruka had been hurt on before. Naruto really wanted some details but Iruka would only talk around them which let to an argument about what age appropriate meant when it came to shinobi. 

Honestly, Iruka wanted to save some of these stories for the classroom. It would help him keep the students attention if he could use real life examples of what worked in the field. 

“So if I graduate then you’ll tell me all the details?” Naruto’s eyes sparkled and Iruka hummed as if he was really thinking about it before he sighed and agreed. “Just you wait sensei, I’ll graduate this year!” 

Iruka knew that wasn’t going to happen, but he kind of hoped Naruto would prove him wrong.

\---

Kakashi opened his eyes slowly, he had fallen asleep in his living room again. 

This house. 

How he hated this house. 

Kakashi closed his eyes again, he could hear the sound of a light rain outside. The water hitting the roof before dropping onto the wooden patio. He briefly wondered if this would change anything about his next mission but realized that it didn’t matter. 

Assassinations didn’t care about rain. 

His body felt stiff in the ANBU armor he was still wearing and Kakashi wondered if he should even bother changing. But then he didn’t think Tenzo would like him showing up with another’s blood still caked on his pants. 

Maybe he should just quit. 

End this cycle of mission after mission and lock himself in this empty house. It wouldn’t take long before everyone moved on and then Kakashi wouldn’t be able to mar anyone’s life for the worse. 

As if that was even a real option. 

Kakashi ignored the way this his body yelled at him for sleeping on the floor as he sat up. He made sure to stretch and found himself blinking into the darkness. He wondered if he should just sell it and move into the city but then Kakashi didn’t want to be near people. 

It was safer that he was out here. 

This is where he was meant to be. 

\---

Iruka didn’t know what he was expecting on his first day back at the school, but it certainly wasn’t a class filled with ribbons and a sign that said ‘WELOME BACK IRKA SESEI!’. 

He really needed to figure out who had been in charge of the spelling of that sign, and then they were going to have a lot of after school lessons. He mentally made a note to go over spelling and other basic knowledge with his class, things that might have been missed over training. 

“Thanks, guys.” Iruka smiled, he knew he probably looked a little pale but that was because he had actually gotten sick in the hospital. Konohamaru had visited with a cold that had turned out to be the flu and Iruka had ended up needing to stay for an extra week. 

He was just glad that Mizuki and Tsubaki had snuck him in some books. 

He still hadn’t seen Kakashi.

“You look well!” Gai gave Iruka a thumbs up and the chunin smiled at the jonin. He had heard that the sub had been scared off after a few days and it was decided that jonin would take over parts of Iruka’s classes as B-rank missions until Iruka returned. 

When Iruka had heard this he had laughed for a good amount of time, then he had been a little touched at the idea that he was the only person able to control his students. 

“Everyone take a seat, I’m going to quiz you on everything that should have been taught while I was gone to see where we’re at.” Iruka smiled as the kids groaned and Iruka noticed Gai looking a little sheepish. He glared at the jonin. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing!” Gai laughed before he glanced away and Iruka grabbed the man’s arm so that he couldn’t get away. The chunin just glared harder and watched as Gai sweated for a few moments before breaking. “I’m not sure anyone actually went over your lesson plan.” 

Iruka blinked real slow at that before he turned to the class. 

None of his students were looking at him except Naruto who was smiling. 

That was not a good sign. 

“Class, could you tell me what you learned in the past two weeks?” Iruka kept his voice calm and waited to see who would squirm first, his eyes zero’d in on the boy with most of his face covered. “Shino-kun?” 

“Ah…” Shino looked like he was frozen and didn’t make another sound. As if he thought if he was still enough that Iruka would forget that Iruka had called on him in the first place. The chunin felt a headache coming on as he released Gai. 

“Gai, let’s talk in the hall. Ino-chan, please pass out these quizzes and let’s see how far off the mark we are now.” Iruka didn’t wait to watch the blond get out of her desk as he shoved the older man into the hall and shut the door. “Why didn’t any--” 

“No one thought you would be gone for so long!” Gai tried to defend his fellow jonin and clearly realized he wasn’t going to win this before he just sighed and gave Iruka an apologetic smile. “We are really glad to have you back.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Iruka huffed before he waved the man off and took a deep breath. “At least the kids all look unharmed, best I can hope for from jonin.” 

“Don’t be like that, Iruka-sensei.” Gai pulled Iruka into a one armed hug and smiled brightly. “You have a great group of students who are eager to learn from you!” 

Iruka did smile at that, he nodded. He could hear the kids whispering to each other, clearly a few of them trying to cheat even though Iruka didn’t plan to mark this for a grade. The teacher put some space between him and Gai, steeling himself before he went back to the kids before he paused and turned to the older man. Gai blinked, clearly realizing that something had changed and Iruka found himself rubbing his scar. 

“Have...do you know...is Kakashi-san okay?” Iruka looked up at Gai’s expression, saw some surprise in the other man’s eyes and found himself looking at the floor again. 

“Surely you know more than I do.” Gai spoke softly back, “Afterall, you are his--” 

“I haven’t seen him since before...my mission.” Iruka knew his face was heating up and managed to force a smile on his face as he looked back at Gai. “I’m sure he is fine. Don’t worry about it, I just thought I would ask.” 

“Y...yeah.” Gai seemed unsure but Iruka didn’t wait for the man to say anything else as he made his way back into his classroom. 

Of course Gai wouldn’t have known anything, him and Kakashi were rivals but that didn’t mean they were friends or anything. Iruka bit his lip as he walked over to his desk. He and Kakashi had basically been lovers for a few months...but that didn’t mean anything either. 

They had never defined themselves after all. Then again, not showing up for the two weeks that Iruka was in the hospital gave Iruka an idea of where he stood. 

Iruka should have never gotten his hopes up. 

“Ah, Iruka-sensei?” Iruka glanced up as he sat in his chair to see Sakura looking a little worried. “Do you know if Sasuke-kun is okay?” 

Iruka smiled sadly at that before he nodded his head. “Sasuke will be back next week, I’m sure he will be happy to see you all again.” 

Iruka honestly didn’t know if that was true or not but Iruka hoped that Sasuke would be able to find some connection in his classmates. It had been Iruka’s friendships that had gotten him through his parents’ deaths and he worried about how Sasuke was going to make it through losing a whole clan. 

Iruka closed his eyes with a sigh. When he thought about those things, it made his other worries seem so petty. 

\---

Sasuke stared the apartment he was in. 

It seemed so small compared to his family home. But he wasn’t allowed back there anymore. 

This was his home now. 

“If you don’t like this apartment then we can try another one...once things have settled.” The lady with purple hair had been with him at the hospital and had walked him over here when they had finally released him. Sasuke was sure she had introduced herself but he couldn’t remember her name. 

There was no point, she wouldn’t be staying. 

“The funeral?” Sasuke asked slowly, look at her reflection in the window instead of making eye contact. 

“We will do the ceremony in two days, we went ahead with the last rites as per the tradition of your religion.” The purple haired woman kept her voice soft and Sasuke just nodded. He didn’t know if he would have been able to see his parent’s get buried or not. 

Itachi had killed them.

Mom. 

Dad. 

“Your belongings will be brought here over the next few days. If there is anything you specifically want, then let me know and I will get it for you.” She paused before he made sure to catch Sasuke’s eye. “All entry to the Uchiha compound is forbidden.” 

Sasuke didn’t bother to argue. 

He just nodded as he made his way over the bed. He didn’t bother saying anything to her as he climbed on top of it and curled into a ball. 

Sleep would come eventually. 

It always did. 

\---

“...tell him…” 

Iruka gasped as he woke from his nightmare. He didn’t need to wipe his face to know that he had been crying in his sleep again. He had only been home for two nights and it looked like he was already starting a pattern. 

The chunin turned over to find himself falling onto the floor with a loud thump and groaned. 

His whole body hurt, and his head still felt heavy. Iruka wondered if he would ever feel normal again and found himself turning over on the floor. He reached up to pull the rest of the blanket off the bed with him and curled into it, the floor was cold and hard but Iruka figured it was better than falling off his bed again. 

He probably wouldn’t get much sleep anyway. 

In the darkness of his room, Iruka found himself thinking of Shisui. Iruka had always thought of Shisui, it had only been two years since his death and while Iruka missed Shisui every day he had learned it was okay to continue on. Shisui had been his first love, and Iruka would always love him. 

But to see how he had died? 

Iruka felt like he had been ripped to pieces. He had wanted to demand answers from the Hokage, figure out what had happened to Shisui but Iruka had kept silent. He had only seen what Itachi had wanted him to see, had only heard what Itachi had only wanted him to hear. 

The chunin briefly wondered if it would have been better if Itachi had killed him and found himself curling even more into himself. 

That was a path he did not want to go down. 

He was alive. 

He was alive and that was all that mattered. Iruka needed to be strong for his students, for Sasuke though he wasn’t sure how he could even talk to the boy after this. As far as the village knew, Sasuke was the only survivor of that night and that’s all that was going to be said. 

No one else could know that Iruka had been there. 

As of right now, Inoichi-sensei had been the only person to even talk to him about that night. The Hokage had been silent in his visits and anyone else that Iruka talked to only knew about the mission that Iruka messed up. 

Iruka still hadn’t seen Kakashi. 

His friends had caught on that something had happened, and while Iruka was glad that they weren’t prying too much he was also unsure of how to act. It’s not like him and Kakashi had agreed on any relationship, but Iruka wasn’t going to lie that the fact that he hadn’t seen the other man hurt. 

They had been lovers, however briefly. 

But after everything Iruka wasn’t sure that he would be able to embrace his usual methods of dealing with break-ups. Iruka didn’t have it in him to embrace another person, he wasn’t going to go out and look for a warm body to make him forget. 

Not this time. 

Iruka sighed as he realized how light it was getting in his apartment. 

Another night with no sleep. 

\---

Gai sighed as he watched Kakashi walk by the dango shop. He had tried to wave, tried to get Kakashi’s attention but that clearly the other man did not want to be bothered. 

It was happening all over again. 

Kakashi closing off. 

“What has you frowning?” Kurenai sat down on the other side of the table from Gai with a small smile before her eyes saw what Gai was looking at. “Oh, Kakashi…”

“I’m a bit of a broken record now, I guess?” Gai tried to laugh his worries away as he turned to Kurenai. “Nothing good comes from my help so I should--”

“Gai.” Kurenai reached her hand out to grab Gai’s wrist. “You’re his friend, it’s okay to be worried. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen him like this.” 

Gai did smile at that with a nod. He reached out to squeeze Kurenai’s hand before they let each other go with small smiles and went back to their dangos. Gai glanced back and Kakashi was already gone, probably on another mission with ANBU and Gai felt a plan start forming in the back of his head. 

He wasn’t sure how, or when, but Gai knew that he needed to get Kakashi out of ANBU. 

That would be step one of dragging his friend out of the darkness. 

\---

Iruka found himself flinching as the sound in the bar got louder before he felt Mizuki’s hand on his shoulder. The other man was frowning in concern and Iruka tried to smile and wave it off but it was clear that he wasn’t doing a good job. 

“Just forget about him.” Mizuki sighed, leaning into Iruka’s space so that they wouldn’t be overheard. “You were lucky enough to get some nice memories but this is just how it is. He’s the elite, we’re just chunin and aren’t worth a salt.”

“Thanks.” Iruka glared as he took a drink from his glass and grimaced. 

He did not want to drink. 

Honestly, Iruka hadn’t been thinking about Kakashi in that moment but it was nice of Mizuki to bring the man up, Iruka thought sarcastically. He sighed as he put his drink down and took a look around the bar. He recognized some faces but Iruka found himself suddenly wishing he had gone back home after the school day. 

He waited for Tsubaki to distract Mizuki, giving her a wave of thanks before he paid his tab and made his way out into the cool night. Sasuke had returned to his class this week and it had been a tense few days but the kids in class were getting back to normal. 

Sasuke had become even more distant. Iruka was torn between giving the kid his space and trying to be more involved so right now he was doing a little bit of both. He would just have to make the choice as situations happened. 

For now he just had to make sure Sasuke and Naruto didn’t kill each other when he wasn’t looking. 

Iruka made it back to his empty apartment with sigh. It was dark but at least it was clean. Iruka hadn’t had much of a chance to make up mess, not with Konohamaru staying over most nights again. And as if thinking about the kid summoned him, there was a knock on Iruka’s door. 

“You smell like the bar.” Ebisu gave Iruka a disapproving look as he walked in with a sleeping Konohamaru on his back. 

“I couldn’t even finish one drink.” Iruka laughed as he took Konohamaru off of Ebisu. “I heard that their party hadn’t returned today, so I was unsure if you would bring him here or take him to the Hokage.” 

“Namaiki and Hiruma-san will return shortly, I’m sure.” Ebisu sighed, and Iruka laid Konohamaru on the bed gently. 

Something had gone wrong. 

Namaiki and Hiruma had never been late returning, not since Konohamaru was born, and never when it was both of them on the same mission. Something must have happened. 

Iruka took a breath and turned to Ebisu who silenced Iruka by grabbing his shoulder. Ebisu gave him a small smile. “I’ll check in with the main office first thing, you just take care of him until they get back.” 

Iruka nodded at that. “Thanks, Ebisu.”

“Well, I know that you’re a worrier.” Ebisu laughed before he flicked Iruka in the forehead causing the teacher to glare at him. “Be careful, you’ll wrinkle your forehead.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Iruka started to shove Ebisu towards the door. “You should head home. Long day tomorrow.” 

“I’ll pick him up from the Academy in the morning, before classes start.” Ebisu let out a yawn before he gave Iruka a wave. “Don’t let him eat too much in the morning. We’re going to be climbing trees tomorrow.” 

“I got it.” Iruka huffed, though he couldn’t help but feel grateful to Ebisu. The tutor was one constant that Iruka could count on, Ebisu was too set in his ways to change. Everything else felt like it was changing around Iruka, and it was good to have a constant. 

Iruka went back over to make sure Konohamaru was cover in the blankets before he made his way over to the couch. He wouldn’t sleep well tonight, but Iruka hadn’t been sleeping well for some time now. At least his dreams had become consistent. If it wasn’t dreams of hateful red eyes then it was of a cliff by the river or bodies of his students then it was the body of Kakashi and their friends laid out on the ground. 

Iruka let his hair down with a sigh as he sat down. He let his head drop in his hands as he took a deep breath. 

He didn’t need to think about these things. 

No. 

He should focus on his lesson plans. Lesson plans and extra credit. 

And what he was going to do if Namaiki and Hiruma didn’t show up tomorrow. It wouldn’t take long before Konohamaru got suspicious, but Iruka found himself hoping that his two friends would make it back as soon as possible. 

Iruka would sleep better when they were back, he was sure of it. 

\---

Kakashi stared at his broken mask. 

The Hound mask stared back at him in pieces. There was blood across it and it took Kakashi a moment to realize that the blood was his. 

The air was clouded with a thick smoke, half of the city was on fire and Kakashi and his team and barely managed to make it to the forest before the floor had exploded beneath their feet. The world faded in Kakashi’s eyes and the ANBU had a brief moment to wonder what Obito could see through his eye right now before he gasped in a breath. 

There was blood pouring out of his mouth. This facemask and uniform were tattered from the last explosion, Kakashi could feel the air outside and how it bit into his wounds. 

That was not a good sign. 

Kakashi forced himself to his knees with a grunt of pain. He was able to use the nearby tree to lift himself up but was only able to put his back against it before his legs gave out beneath him. There was a chance that part of his side was missing, but Kakashi knew that he would black out if he moved his head any more. 

His team was dead. 

He had been the captain on this mission and he had lead his team into an ambush. They had gotten the intel they needed from the MIst but there was a batch of rogues waiting for them in the next city. 

Kakashi’s team were dead. 

And judging by the pieces of bodies that Kakashi could see scattered across the ground, the rogue-nin were dead as well. 

Kakashi lifted his hands together to force the seals he needed. It took him far too much longer than it should have but Kakashi figured it was the blood loss as he finally summoned his ninken. 

Hiruma Sarutobi was dead. His Horse mask was still covering his face but Kakashi could see the chest wound that was no longer bleeding. Kakashi had tried, he had tried so hard to keep Hiruma alive but as soon as that sword had gone through his chest there had been no hope. 

Namaiki Sarutobi, HIruma’s wife, had died saving Kakashi’s life. She must have sensed the blood thirst of the last explosion but she had only shoved Kakashi a moment before the fire went off. Kakashi wondered which of the charred remains on the ground were hers and felt Obito’s eye start to itch at that thought. 

His eye was crying. 

Kakashi was dying but Obito’s eye was crying. 

Viper, the fourth member of their team and a kid from the Aburame clan, had died in the city. He had sensed the ambush and had sacrificed himself to give the rest of the team a chance to run. 

Kakashi wondered if he could order his dogs to find Viper’s body and make sure to bring it home. Then again, Kakashi couldn’t even hear Pakkun yell at him as he shoved the scroll in the dog’s direction. Konoha needed the information they had gotten. 

He was sure the pug was yelling at him but Kakashi didn’t care. He needed Pakkun to get the information to the Hokage. It was the only way. 

Kakashi felt world start to fade but he forced himself to stay awake. He turned his head to see Bull was staring him with sad eyes and Kakashi glared at the dog. This was no time for emotions. “I need you to find my team and bring them here.”

“Boss--” Pakkun started and Kakashi shook his head slightly. 

“I need to...bring them...here!” Kakashi barked out and regretted it instantly as his world went black. 

He shouldn’t have tried to argue with the dogs, that’s not how he wanted them to remember him. Not that it mattered, Kakashi wouldn’t care because he was finally dying. Hopefully they would respect his last wish and bring his team together, it would make clean up easier for the next team and Kakashi felt it would be best if he could die surrounded by the team he had failed. 

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Kakashi was supposed to die in a blaze of glory all by himself, or maybe he was meant to die in shame like his father. Then again, maybe it was for the best that he died in the dirt somewhere outside of the Fire country. 

It was a far greater death than Kakashi deserved. 

So of course he didn’t get it. 

The first sign that he had survived was the faint buzzing of electricity through the lights in the room they had put him in. It took Kakashi a few more moments before he was able to place the location itself. 

“The hospital.” Kakashi groaned as he glared at the light above him. 

“Senpai’s awake!” Tenzo’s voice wavered a bit as he yelled at someone before suddenly the man was over Kakashi with a worried look. “Senpai!”

Kakashi continued to glare at the ceiling. 

He should have died. 

Why couldn’t he just die. 

“Senpai.” Yugao’s voice was soft as she entered the room. Kakashi didn’t bother moving his glare from the ceiling but he could hear a silent conversation happening above him before he found her face in his line of sight. “I need you to drink this water and then report.” 

Kakashi turned away from the water. He didn’t have the energy to pull down his mask and he wasn’t going to let one of them do it. “Lynx, Horse, and Viper died in ambush. Information retrieved from source, scroll was handed over to ninken after ambush.” 

“The scroll was turned in by a rather pissed pug.” Yugao smiled down at Kakashi who just stared blankly at the ceiling. She sighed before she stood straight. “A more detailed report will be requested later, the bodies of your team were taken to their families and a service will be held shortly. We’ll come get you before so that you can atten--”

“No.” Kakashi whispered but it silenced the room. 

“Senpai--” Tenzo started. 

“No.” Kakashi repeated before he shut his eyes. 

He was done. 

\---

“Chiriku, if this is another stupid--” Asuma stopped as he finished climbing the steps to the temple. Chiriku and a few of the monks were waiting for him at the entrance with a familiar looking dark haired woman. “Kurenai?”

“Asuma…” Kurenai gave the monks a small bow before she turned to Asuma. 

She looked tired, Asuma could tell that she had run straight here and he found himself stiffening. She was in her full chunin uniform, but Asuma could see where the branches had hit her hair and she hadn’t bothered to fix it. 

Something was wrong. 

“If you guys want me to come back then sorry for wasting your time.” Asuma sighed as he let smoke out of his mouth before he scratched the back of his head. “It’s been five years, I thought you would have--”

“Asuma.” Chiriku shook his head and Asuma turned to Kurenai who had tears forming in her eyes. 

Asuma felt like the world was dropping under him. 

His dad. 

Something had happened to the Hokage--

“Hiruma and Namaiki.” Kurenai’s voice broke before she lifted her head to look Asuma in the eye. “Asuma, they died. You need to come back for the service.” 

Asuma felt like he was choking on air as the cigarette fell from his mouth. He barely took a step forward before his knees buckled and suddenly he was being held up by both Chiriku and Kurenai. Asuma felt like his world was tipping over to see two parts of his life together. 

No. 

His brother and sister. 

That didn’t make any sense. They couldn’t be dead. Asuma had just gotten Hiruma’s last letter last week, Asuma had mailed his response back this morning. 

No. 

Hiruma. 

Namaiki. 

“Konohamaru?” Asuma’s voice wavered as he grabbed onto Kurenai’s shoulders. “Is he--”

“He’s fine, they were taking him to the Hokage when I left to relay the news.” Kurenai forced Asuma to look her in the eyes. “We have to go, Asuma.” 

“I’ve already packed your bags.” Chirku grabbed Asuma’s arm before he gave his friend a bow. “Go home, Asuma.” 

And that was that. Asuma didn’t remember if he said any proper goodbyes. The man couldn’t remember if Kurenai said anything to him as he ran through the trees, he was going at his top speed but it was clear that Kurenai was having no issue keeping up with him. She surpassed him as they made it to the gates, and Asuma was glad that he wasn’t stopped as he continued running to the tower. 

The Hokage had to be there.

His dad. 

Konohamaru. 

What was going to happen to Konohamaru now that--what had happened? Why were they dead? Was it a mission or something else?

Asuma ran up the stairs nonstop, he only paused as he turned the corner to see a man curled into against the wall with his hands covering his face. Asuma saw the ponytail and thought of Iruka but he didn’t bother to find out as he ran past the man. 

There was no time. 

The room was dark and stuffy but Asuma didn’t care. He didn’t bother to acknowledge the mess that was scattered on the floor as he made his way to his old man that was on the ground. There was a child sobbing in Asuma’s father’s arms and Asuma only had a few seconds to see how big Konohamaru had gotten before he pulled both of them into his chest. 

He had been such an idiot. 

Five years, wasted. 

Five years, gone. 

All for his stupid pride. 

“Asuma…” Hiruzen blinked as his son broke down against him. Konohamaru blinked at Asuma and then the kid let himself be held by both men and continued to cry. 

“I’m sorry.” Asuma choked on his tears as he held them closer. “I’m so sorry.” 

Asuma would never let his pride get in the way of his family ever again. It was his vow that he was making right now. 

Never again. 

\---

“Another funeral…” Iruka whispered under his breath and Anko kept her eyes trained on her friend as he made his way to the front. 

Konohamaru barely saw Iruka before the kid was in the teacher’s arms. Konohamaru’s tears were obvious to the crowd but Iruka’s words were silent and private. Everyone knew about Iruka’s connection with the Sarutobi family over the years and he was being given the same respect as a relative. 

Asuma, however, seemed lost as he stood next to his father. 

A stranger in his own home. 

Anko wondered if Asuma was even seeing his home right now, or if he could only see the empty space that his brother’s death had caused. She bit her lip before she let her eyes go over the audience one more time. They had kept this gathering as private as possible which wasn’t very, as far as Anko was concerned. She found Ibiki and gave him a nod before her eyes found Mizuki and Tsubaki. The couple holding each other’s hands as they stared ahead. 

The hokage stood forward and started talking, Anko taking in his words as her eyes found Iruka again. 

Her friend had left his place next to the family and was now moving towards the back. Iruka’s face was blank and Anko found herself wondering if Iruka would breakdown here or at home. It was one of the things she’s respected about her friend, for as much as shinobi were taught to purge emotion, he always made sure to let his out. 

She was worried though, because Iruka was clearly going through something. It had started after his failed mission that had sent him to the hospital and Anko could only place the things she knew. 

Iruka had closed off after that mission, there was clearly something going on but he was not talking about it. Iruka and Kakashi were clearly not sleeping together anymore, which didn’t surprise Anko because she always knew Kakashi would screw up at some point but it was clear that both Kakashi and Iruka were shutting themselves off from the rest of the world. 

With Kakashi, Anko expected that behavior...with Iruka, she was worried. 

There was a moment of silence and Anko realized that the sermon was over. She glanced back to where Iruka had been walking and realized her friend was gone. 

She frowned but decided to give him his space, he would come to her when he needed to. 

She had to believe in that. 

\---

Kakashi stared out the window of the room they had put him in. He was finally able to sit up but they had officially sealed him into the room. There was no way he would be able escape without his chakra sending off alarms and that was the last thing Kakashi wanted to do. 

It had been hard enough to face the Hokage with his mission report, he didn’t want to drag the old man here just because this place made Kakashi’s skin itch. 

There was a small knock and Kakashi found himself tensing. The funeral was happening right now and he was sure that no one would be bothering him for at least a few more hours. He frowned behind his mask, choosing not to say anything as he glared at the door. 

Maybe he should have escaped and dealt with the consequences, it would have been better to watch as Iruka slowly opened the door with tired expression. The teacher paused as he noticed Kakashi was awake before he shook his head with a sigh and made his way into the room before shutting the door behind him. 

Kakashi couldn’t help but greedily take in the sight of the Iruka. It had been weeks since he had last seen the teacher and the last true view of Iruka had been of the chunin unconscious and on the ground at the Uchiha estate. Kakashi found himself closing his eyes to chase the image away before he turned so that he was facing Iruka as the teacher pulling up the small stool to the bed and sat down in it. 

Iruka had lost weight, Kakashi didn’t know why that thought bothered him so much but it did. 

“Kakashi…” Iruka’s voice was quiet and for some reason Kakashi couldn’t look away from the teen. Iruka, a chunin of 18 years, and Kakashi didn’t know if he wanted to silence the man or let him speak. Iruka seemed to not notice Kakashi’s thoughts as he finally glanced up so that their eyes could meet. “Kakashi-san, welcome home.” 

The honorific didn’t hurt as much as the welcome home did. Kakashi felt like his chest was being sliced open and he suddenly felt nothing but rage. 

Why? 

Why was Iruka here?

Kakashi had wanted distance between them. Kakashi had made it obvious when he had removed himself from Iruka, hadn’t visited the chunin in the hospital, hadn’t visited him in his time after. Kakashi had made a point to ensure that wouldn’t cross paths because Kakashi was actively cutting Iruka out of his life. 

“Why are you here?” Kakashi’s voice was hard when he spoke and his stayed on Iruka so that he didn’t miss the flinch of the other man. 

Iruka seemed lost for a moment, Kakashi watched emotions run across Iruka’s face and the ANBU forced himself to look away. Kakashi needed to end this, to cut whatever thread that Iruka was holding onto, whatever connection the chunin thought he had with Kakashi needed to be gone. 

For Iruka’s sake. 

“I…” Iruka paused as if thinking on his words and Kakashi just shook his head and stared forward into the blank wall. 

“Unless you are here with a report from the Hokage, I need you to leave.” Kakashi kept his voice low, so that he wasn’t yelling but he knew it would have the same desired effect. He could hear Iruka suck in a breath but Kakashi didn’t turn to look at the chunin. 

He couldn’t. 

None of this mattered. Kakashi might have come home from this mission but there would always be a next and one after that. The missions would never stop, even after Kakashi died, the missions would continue. 

Kakashi had been a fool to think he could have more than that. 

“I’ve disturbed your rest.” Iruka’s voice had become flat like Kakashi’s, not quite as hard but it was clear that Iruka was holding back something. There was scrape of the stool moving and Kakashi found himself turned to see Iruka standing on his feet. “Excuse me.”

Kakashi watched Iruka as the teen made his way out of the room, the teach only pausing for a moment at the door before he turned to look back at Kakashi. “I’m sorry for your loss.” 

The words hurt, despite their sincerity. Kakashi waited until the door shut before he ripped the blankets in his lap. 

His loss? 

It was his failure that had lead to their deaths. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the village realized what a liability Kakashi was. He wasn’t meant to lead teams, he was meant to be a weapon. A sharp blade for the village to use as it willed. 

Kakashi took a deep breath as steeled himself. 

He needed to get out of this damn hospital. 

\---

“I don’t want to go!” 

Hiruzen sighed as he stared at his grandson. The kids hair was wild, his face flushed in anger as he held his arms around him. “This is my home, I won’t leave!” 

“Hokage-sama…” Iruka was on the other side of the door. The chunin had volunteered to help move Konohamaru from the apartment and into the Sarutobi estate, where Asuma was returning to as well, but it seemed everyone was frozen due to Konohamaru’s fit. 

“Yes, Iruka-sensei?” Hiruzen chose to ignore Konohamaru at that moment and turn to the chunin. Iruka saw through what Hiruzen was doing and gave the old man a smile and the Hokage just sighed. 

“Maybe I can take Konohamaru to lunch?” Iruka tried and it looked like Konohamaru was going to argue against it but the Hokage had enough of his grandson yelling at him so he nodded his approval. “Thank you!” 

“No!” Konohamaru started but wasn’t able to finish was Iruka lifted him and then carried him out of the room. The Hokage listened as the shouts continued down the hall and sighed as he sat down on the floor. 

Iruka was actually looking worse over these past few weeks and the Hokage didn’t know what to do about that. Every week they had a meal together and yet Iruka always seemed like his normal self, if it wasn’t for the fact that the teacher couldn’t hide the bags under his eyes or the weight loss, the Hokage might’ve believed everything was fine. 

Hiruzen was tired. 

He could see how his village was being effected but he wasn’t sure if he had an solution other than time. All he could offer people was time. 

Sometimes he really felt like a useless old man. 

“You should retire, old man.” Asuma smiled as he carried more boxes into the living room. 

“Don’t tempt me.” Hiruzen groaned as he rubbed his back before he glanced over at his son. 

Despite the terrible circumstances, it was nice to have have Asuma back in the village. Back in the village to stay as far as their talks had gone, Asuma had even mentioned finishing some of his jonin tasks so that he could looking into becoming a jonin-sensei. 

Hiruzen knew that Hiruma would have been proud of his little brother. 

“This should be it from the from the bedroom. I think this is everything, so we can get the movers to take it over to the estate and then start unpacking.” Asuma wiped his hand on his shirt before he glanced down at his dad who was still sitting on the floor. “You okay?”

“Do you think Konohamaru will be okay?” Hiruzen sighed, wondering what Iruka was telling his grandson in hopes to get the boy to behave. 

Asuma seemed surprised by the question as he blinked at his father a few times before shrugging at sitting on the floor himself. “He just lost his parents, he’s going to need time.”

Hiruzen nodded at that, wishing that he had his pipe on him before he sighed. 

Hopefully Konohamaru would have all the time he needed. 

\---

Iruka took a deep breath at the bottom of the steps. 

It had been so long, he couldn’t believe how long it had taken him to come up with this, but it had been so long he felt like he was doing it for the first time. After the last time he had come here with this father, after that it had only been for funerals and wasn’t that a depressing thought. 

The graveyard was empty, a rare occurrence these days but Iruka was also showing up just as the sun was rising. He went over to the small fountain and grabbed a bucket of water and a clean piece of cloth. There would be children to clean the stones later but Iruka felt like it was his time to pay his respects. 

He went to the first grave. 

When his father had done this, they had stopped at every grave and given a prayer or a story. If his father had known them personally, it was a story, and if he didn’t then it would a be a prayer. It was something that Iruka had tried to remember as a child and when he came across a name that had his father had known, he decided to tell them a story about his students. 

Iruka found himself smiling more often or not when it came to the stories of his students. Especially the ones with his noisy blonde hellion. 

The sun was up in the air by the time Iruka made it to the end of the stones, he took a deep breath as he neared the end of the grave site and gave the stones a bow. He wouldn’t make any promises about returning soon, but he would definitely keep it in his mind to come again. He took a deep breath and turned to make his way to the memorial stone only to pause as Kakashi stared at him from the stairs to the cemetery. 

They hadn’t seen each other since Iruka had showed up in his hospital room and the chunin did the only thing he could and that was to give Kakashi a small bow for his rank before he left as quickly as possible. 

Kakashi. 

Iruka had his own issues to worry about, the fact that he couldn’t sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time. The fact that he was forcing himself to stuff food in his mouth because he knew he needed food despite the fact that he didn’t feel hungry. 

Iruka was breaking apart at the seams and he knew it. 

But that didn’t mean Iruka didn’t have time to worry about others. He worried about his students, about the Hokage and Konohamaru, about Kakashi...he worried about Kakashi. It was clear that Kakashi was done with whatever connection they had had, but Iruka couldn’t help but worry. 

He worried about his friends, too. 

How long would it be before he was called to another funeral?

The memorial stone stood out against the bright landscape, the dark stone a reminder of all who were lost. Iruka knelt down infront of it and let his fingers trace over the names only pausing when he came to his parents. 

Had it already been 8 years? 

“A lot has happened…” Iruka felt pained smile form on his face as he stared at their names. He missed them so much, it didn’t hurt as much as it used to but there would still be days where he could only feel the gap they had left in his life. “Last time I was here, I told you I was going to become a teacher at the Academy.”

His parents would have loved his students. He could see his mom appearing in the class and causing a scene, helping his students misbehave only to Iruka yelled at her and the students. HIs father would have scared the tar out of his class and the other teachers, but Iruka knew that he would have also been the person who snuck candy into the classrooms to make sure the kids were on a sugar high in the afternoon. 

They would have spoiled Naruto rotten. 

Iruka started going down the names, just like his father had. Iruka wondered how he might look, to anyone who passed by, just a strange man talking talking to the memorial. Then again, most people had probably seen weirder occurrences in this village. 

Iruka took a deep breath as he sat back on the ground. He had finished talking and he felt better than he had in a long time. It wasn’t like he had reached any revelation, or talked about any of the big issues he was dealing with, but apparently just talking about the good things in his life was all that he needed to do. 

He felt light. 

The teacher heard some laughter in the distance and glanced up at the sun to see the time. He needed to head home and refresh if he was going to meet with the Hokage that afternoon. He wanted to talk to the old man about manning the mission desk again, since he definitely wouldn’t be allowed on the mission roster for some time then he could help out in other ways. 

Iruka knew that he had a lot to work on, that there was a chance he was going to have to ask for help at someone point, but he for the first time in a long time he felt like he was taking a step in the right direction. 

He would be okay...eventually. 

\---

No…

No...no...no…

It didn’t matter how many times he said it, the blood wouldn’t come off of his hands. They were dead, everyone was dead. 

How--

“Hound!” Kakashi could barely force his body under enough control to not tremble as he stared down at the blood that was over his hands. The body on the ground was growing cold and for some reason he was trying to stop the bleeding. 

It was too late. 

“Senpai.” It had been Tenzo who had yelled at him. Kakashi took a breath to center himself as he finally let his hands leave the body under him. “He disobeyed your command, there was nothing we could do.” 

Kakashi didn’t know if Tenzo was trying to give Kakashi a way out or if he honestly thought those were the words Kakashi wanted to hear. It didn’t matter, another ANBU was dead. 

“It doesn’t matter.” Kakashi kept his voice cold as he got to his feet. He motioned for Tenzo to clean the mess and walked away from the scene. 

There were shouts, someone saying something to him as he made it to the three nin they had captured on their mission. They had been ordered to bring two high-ranked nin in for Ibiki and had managed to catch a third in their ambush. 

Kakashi hadn’t even realized he has channeled chakra to his hand until it was already through one of the prisoner’s chests. The blood of his comrade mixing in with the enemy that had killed him. 

It was a different sort of justice. 

Then again, he was just lucky the orders had only asked for two prisoners. 

The forest was silent, minus the other two prisoners yelling at him, but Kakashi didn’t care. Didn’t care about the ANBU that surrounded him, the rumors and gossip that would start again after this. 

It didn’t matter. 

Neko was yelling at him, Kakashi just gave him a bored look before he realized his hands were itching from the blood. 

He would need wash that off before he reported in. 

\---

Iruka stared at his apartment, unsure of what to do or how to react. 

Someone had broken into his apartment and trashed the place. His mattress was in shreds on the floor, anything that could be broken was and all his items strewn about. 

“Woah! What happened here?” Iruka jumped slightly as Mizuki knocked into him at the door. Mizuki’s hands were filled with boxes of scroll and Iruka suddenly remembered that he had promised to help Mizuki study for the next round of Academy teacher tests. 

Mizuki was going to pass this year no matter what. 

“I guess someone broke in.” Iruka shrugged as he finally took a few steps inside. He sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. Normally break-ins were reported to the village police but there were still a lot of issues around the creation of the new police force. 

Mizuki seemed to sense Iruka’s confusion before the other man just sighed. “I’ll send a signal for assistance, whoever is on duty will be able to report this and we’ll go from there.” 

“Thanks.” Iruka nodded as he bend down to pick up pieces of his broken table. “I’m still confused why anyone would want to break into my apartment, I’m just an academy teacher--” 

“Maybe they thought you had some scrolls from the mission room?” Mizuki shrugged. “Or they thought that you were secretly rich?” 

“Ha!” Iruka tried to think of what his life would be like if he was rich and then paused a bit. It was true that he had a bit in savings, but that was mainly because he didn’t spend much money. Honestly, he had been saving in hopes to do an onsen tour around the world one day...as silly as it seemed. 

It didn’t take long before patrol showed up and Iruka made a quick report. As far was he could tell, nothing had been taken...but that didn’t mean he would find something missing later. 

“Maybe it had to do with your parents?” Mizuki guessed again as they finished tying up the last bag. Iruka had managed to save all his personal items, nothing had had been too damaged that Iruka wouldn’t be able to save. The rest of the apartment...well it was a good thing that Iruka could pick up most of this stuff at the store. 

“My parents?” Iruka paused, looking at the roof of his apartment with a sigh. He thought briefly of the compartment that held his mom’s training scrolls and other Uzushio items from his parents he had stored in his closet. The closet that was currently under a henge and was clearly not seen by the thief. “Why would they think I have anything important from that long ago? I was child when they died, if my parents had anything of importance then I’m sure the Hokage got it back when they went through whatever belongings survived the fire.” 

“The fire.” Mizuki scoffed. “Is that what you’re calling the Kyubi attack? Still can’t believe you have to teach that brat.” 

“We’ve been over this.” Iruka sighed, tired of this conversation. “All my students are precious to me, you’ll understand when you become a teacher.” 

Mizuki looked doubtful but he just rolled his eyes and looked around the now barren apartment. “I guess we should reschedule my study session, eh sensei?” 

Iruka shoved Mizuki’s had as his friend laughed and nodded. It was unfortunate but they would just have to find another time. Iruka frowned a bit, honestly, the only person he had been feeling normal around recently was Mizuki...most likely because Mizuki was a pretty shallow guy to begin with so Iruka didn’t have to be on his guard for any surprise conversations. Mizuki was simple and right now, Iruka needed simple. 

“Make sure you put up better guards, the fact that you didn’t know your place was broken into is a bit scary.” Mizuki sighed as he made his way out. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Iruka sighed as he shut the door. He would have to try some new seals on his rooms. It would have been bad if someone had tried to get in when Konohamaru was staying over...not that he stayed over anymore. 

Iruka sighed. 

He should have asked Mizuki to grab dinner, then again it was for the best to let Mizuki go home to Tsubaki if they weren’t going to be studying. Iruka ran his hand through his hair and just shrugged. He would go to the store, get some essentials, and then he would stop by Ichiraku on the way back. 

Ramen would be the thing to cheer him up, it was always perfect. 

\---

Kakashi stumbled as he tripped over a rock in his backyard. He only barely managed to catch himself before he hit the ground face first. 

“Maa…” Kakashi groaned into the dirt before he forced himself to roll over to stare at the night sky. 

They had put him on leave. 

Kakashi was currently a poor mix of chakra depleted and drunk, something he had never done at the same time before but now he could see why it might have it’s benefits. Everything seemed to be numb, like he wasn’t in his body right now. 

He felt empty. 

Like this house. Kakashi bent his head so that he could stare at the Hatake estate. This empty cold house that had belonged to his father. If only the old man had taken Kakashi with him, they could have died together and no longer been blemishes on their village. 

A village legend that killed himself in shame. 

And now the village genius who was too broken to be useful. 

What was the point. 

His body felt hot, like suddenly his blood had caught on fire at the mere sight of this house. It was just as broken as he was, people only had to look hard enough. Some grand estate on the outside but nothing but broken memories and promises. 

“I fucking hate this place.” Kakashi didn’t even know he could have that much spite in his voice as he forced himself to his feet. He stumbled a bit, dropping the bottle of drink on the ground and not caring how it spilled around his feet. 

Why? 

Why had his father let him live? Why had Obito sacrificed himself for someone like Kakashi? Why had Minato-sensei put so much faith in such an idiot? Kakashi stumbled as he made his way onto the hardwood and found himself wishing that the place would just burn down. 

He should just burn it down. 

It was his property, it was his memories, he could get rid of this blight. 

The fire came out of his mouth as soon as he finished the seal. Kakashi stumbled back at the mere force of it and found himself staring as his ceiling erupted in flames. He could feel the heat and for the first time that night Kakashi felt like he was feeling something other than the numbness. 

Why had Rin stayed with him for so long? Was it because she knew that he would be needed for her to end her own suffering? Had she known that he would be the end of her? Had his mother known what kind of family she had left behind when she had left on her last mission? Had she gone willingly into the night to leave Kakashi and his father?

Wood collapsed next to him and it was only pure instinct that had caused Kakashi to move out of it’s way. The house was burning faster and faster and Kakashi could nearly feel the flames flick against his skin. 

This was it. 

This was how it had to be. 

He could end it all, end all the memories, end everything. Stop this Hatake curse and prevent more deaths at his own hands. He wouldn’t kill anymore comrades. 

He couldn’t. 

“Kakashi!” Kakashi stiffened at the sound of his name over the roar of the fire, he realized that he couldn’t breath in the smoke and just continued to sit in the living room. He was hearing things, there was no way--

“Kakashi!” Gai ripped the sliding door off it’s hinges as he kicked his way into the living room. The man was soaking from head to toe as stared wide-eyed at Kakashi. Kakashi could only feel his eyes widen in return. 

Why? 

Why was--

“Asuma, he’s here!” Gai didn’t hesitate as he ran into the room and grabbed Kakashi, pulling the other man to him just as more wood fell to the ground. Kakashi only got a moment to wonder if that would have been the end of him before he was suddenly outside, the cool night air almost hurting his skin as he took a breath. 

“What were you thinking?!” And now it was Asuma yelling at him and Kakashi couldn’t deal with this right now, he only managed to take two steps before he was curling over, pulling down his mask and vomiting on the ground. 

There was shouting and Gai was kneeling next to him saying words that Kakashi would have to think about later. 

Words of friendship. 

Of hope. 

Of understanding. 

Kakashi only managed to gag before he felt something like a broken noise escape his throat. 

Why? 

Why was he still alive?

“Kakashi…” Gai’s hands were strong on his back, holding his arms so that he wouldn’t fall over in his own sick. “Kakashi, please, talk to us.” 

Kakashi shook his head, the world spinning. What could he say, what could they possibly understand of everything that was inside of him? This darkness was going to eat him whole. 

“Only if you let it.” Asuma’s voice was soft, the only sign that Kakashi had been speaking out loud as the older man grabbed Kakashi’s other arm. Kakashi took a breath at those words, there was shouting in the distance, most likely people seeing the smoke and coming to put it out. 

Kakashi wondered if he had killed his goldfish, and if Tenzo would be mad about that. 

“Kakashi.” Asuma wiped Kakashi’s mouth with his sleeve before he pulled the mask up and forced Kakashi to look at him. “Only if you let it.” 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNINGS (contain spoilers):   
> -canon violence   
> -canon character deaths   
> -character deaths  
> -thoughts of suicide
> 
>  
> 
> As always, thank you for the kudos and reviews! I hope you guys like this chapter...I know it's a sad one...


	12. Falling Down Like an Omen, A Setting Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After all the tragedy, the citizens of Konoha have to continue living on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, sorry for the delay! My last update was the last chapter I had fully written for the story and while I had been on a bit of a groove, I didn't think that I would be set back. Things with work and life got crazy, which is how it always works when I would rather be sitting down and writing these characters, but what can you do? I will do my best to start updating more regularly, but my update date might change to Sundays while work is busy. Sorry again for the delay! 
> 
> This chapter was a lot of fun to write, as it's entirely in other people's POVs. Kakashi and Iruka are still the main focus of chapter -- as they will be for every chapter -- but I thought it would be interesting to do the next few scenes of their lives through the point of views of other people. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Warnings are at the bottom!

\---

Asuma took a deep breath as he toweled off his wet hair. The shower had cleaned off all the ash but it had done nothing for the tension in his body. Once he made it back to his bed, he was going to sleep for a week. 

“Some night.” Kurenai sighed as she sipped her tea. 

Asuma couldn’t help but relax at her tone, she was clearly tired but at least she wasn’t angry. She was wrapped in a robe, her hair a mess showing how early it was in the day. Asuma almost felt bad for waking her but since she was Gai’s roommate it couldn’t be helped. 

They had to bring Kakashi somewhere. 

Asuma had been lucky that he had known the guard, it had only taken one knowing look from Genma on the scene before the special jonin had waved them off. There would be interviews, there would be a lot of conversations, and then most likely this would be swept under the rug as some sort of ‘incident’. Asuma figured he owed Genma a drink after this and hopefully his friend wouldn’t complain too much about this whole thing later. 

“How are they doing?” Asuma kept his voice soft as he poked his head into Gai’s room. He could see his friends asleep on the bed and shook his head. 

Kakashi and Gai were covered in burns, thankfully nothing serious, but it was enough to need treatment. Asuma had done his best before he had been forced to wake Kurenai. She might not have been a medinin but she at least knew what ointment treated what. All three men had been shaking from the adrenaline of the fire, too busy trying to calm down to read labels. 

Kakashi had been almost catatonic once they had gotten him on his feet, and it was all Asuma could do to drag everyone to Gai’s apartment to patch themselves up. 

He was going to have an interesting talk with his father in a few hours, Asuma could feel it. There was no doubt by now that Genma had informed Raido of what had happened, and with Raido being his father’s guard...it was only a matter of time. 

The Hokage was a man who knew everything. 

“Gai passed out immediately.” Kurenai tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before she gave a look to Asuma. He knew that look meant something, but sometimes he just got caught up in the fact that she was in front of him. His return to Konoha still didn’t feel real. “Kakashi’s still awake but Gai has a good grip on him so I don’t think he’ll be leaving. Give him another hour and he’ll be out.”

Asuma wanted to laugh, the idea of Gai spooning Kakashi into submission created a funny picture in his head...but he was tired. The older man shook his head as he made his way back out in the living room, he barely collapsed into the sofa before Kurenai was joining him, her hands tight in his. 

They hadn’t had time to talk since his return and Asuma knew that they had a lot to talk about, but first…

First…

“Kakashi set his house on fire.” Asuma whispered, knowing that there was a chance that Kakashi was still awake and would be able to hear them. In the past he might have been willing to let things be, to let Kakashi deal with this on his own without getting involved, but Asuma had changed in his five years of absence. There was no point in beating around the bush, not when it came to his friends and their safety. “He was still inside.”

Kurenai’s hands tightened around his and the room filled with silence. 

They stayed like that, watching the sun rise as they leaned into each other. Asuma wasn’t sure how, but they were going to fix it. 

They had already lost enough friends in their lives. 

They wouldn’t lose Kakashi. 

\---

Ebisu was not having a good day. 

He had shown up to the Sarutobi estate at his usual time to pick up his student, the honorable grandson of the Hokage, only to find a weird tension in the air. Normally, the elite tutor would have been greeted by the head of the family, who just happened to be Sandaime’s cousin. Ebisu enjoyed these greetings with the old man because they would make their jokes about the day, talk about Konohamaru’s training, and then they would discuss which bathhouses currently had the most refreshing water. 

Sarutobi men always knew the best locations to...ease one’s stress. 

Ebisu sniffed a bit before he took a breath and listened to the whispering that was happening around him as he waited for someone to tell him what was going on. 

He gathered that the Hatake estate had burned down in some sort of accident, Ebisu was not surprised. He knew Kakashi but they were not very close, it had been something that Ebisu had been hoping to rectify as the great copy-nin became known across the lands but after spending a few missions with Kakashi the older tutor decided it was best to keep his distance. 

Ebisu briefly wondered if Iruka knew what happened at the estate, and wondered if he could bother his friend about it later. Iruka was someone Ebisu was happy to consider a friend, the young man had made himself an honorable teacher at the academy and despite their age difference -- though what was six years for a shinobi -- Ebisu found that he had always appreciated Iruka’s sense of humor. 

Then again, after those years where Iruka had been stationed in Uzutoshi, Ebisu was bound to get attached. That had not been an easy mission and Iruka, as a genin, had been burdened with the majority of it. 

The tutor still had some feelings about how all of that had gone down. 

Most people who had been involved did. 

Ebisu found himself frowning, wondering if he should take Iruka for a drink. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he hadn’t seen the young chunin since Hiruma’s funeral. 

“Ebisu-san!” Ebisu startled a bit as Mura, the clan head’s daughter ran over to him. Her daughter Moegi was clinging to her mom’s robes with a frown, clearly unhappy that she was being dragged around the estate. “Sorry for the wait!” 

“Don’t be so formal.” Ebisu laughed, feeling his face heat up as Mura smiled at him. “We were classmates after all!” 

They had been classmates, both running around the academy like the brats they had been at the time. Ebisu briefly wondered if he looked okay, he tended to be more casual with his uniform when training Konohamaru and didn’t want to come off as a slouch to Mura...it didn’t matter that she was the next head of the Sarutobi clan, happily married to some Inuzuka clansman (Ebisu was still confused of the appeal there), the only thing that mattered was the she was Ebisu’s first crush and despite nearly two decades of knowing it would never happen he could help the flush that would appear on his cheeks when she was around. 

“Sorry for all of the ruckus, Asuma didn’t make it home last night.” Mura sighed before she just waved her hand as if Asuma was just a nuisance to her. Then again, Asuma had been the class below them and they had probably grown up more like siblings than cousins in this household. “The big issue is that Konohamaru’s run away and--”

“What?!” Ebisu’s glasses feel a bit down his nose at that. “Mura--”

“Oh yeah, he’s the reason you’re here.” Mura laughed as if she hadn’t just told Ebisu that his star pupil had run off on his own. She waved her hand again as if shooing away Ebisu’s stress before she glanced at her daughter. “Don’t worry, Moegi already gave him up. He hasn’t been gone long so I imagine that Iruka-sensei will be here soon.”

Ebisu felt like a headache was coming, he wanted to ask Mura for more information but he knew it would be pointless because Mura only shared the amount of information she was allowed. Never more, never less, it was one of the things that made her great at her undercover work. She gave Ebisu a smile as she motioned for him and Moegi to follow her to the gates. 

Ebisu sighed. 

He needed to find a girlfriend. 

“Kono-kun misses his parents.” Ebisu blinked to find Moegi staring up at him with a frown. “I told him not to go but he said he wanted to go back home...but this is his home now.” 

Ah. 

That made sense. Konohamaru had run back to his parents’ apartment, where Iruka happened to still live across from. 

“I don’t want to!” Konohamaru’s voice was loud and had an edge to it that meant he was either going to break down into tears or just fight something. Ebisu had pushed the boy to that only a few times and knew that neither outcome was good for those involved. 

Maru and Moegi both sighed when they heard Konohamaru’s voice and Ebisu realized just how worried the two ladies had been. Ebisu found himself wondering where the Sandaime and Maru’s father had been through all of this. 

“Konohamaru-kun…” Iruka sounded tired as he walked into the estate, he was carrying the child that was clinging to him and the young chunin looked like he hadn’t slept a wink. 

“Please…” Konohmaru’s voice dipped and Ebisu knew the tears were about to come, it didn’t help that Iruka looked like he was on the verge of tears himself and Ebisu found himself stepping in. 

“If you don’t want to come back yet, that’s fine.” Ebisu moved so that he was frowning at Konohamaru with his hands on his hips. “But you only have two options and that is to come and do your training with me, or to stay home until I pick you up tomorrow.” 

His voice was stern, something that he had perfected after his first few students he had tutored and he could see Konohamaru clinging to Iruka even tighter. There was only a few moments of silence, Iruka looking like he was about to say something before Konohamaru nodded his head and let himself be place on the ground. The kid wiped his face, glared over at Moegi who hid behind her mother before he reached his hand out to Ebisu to take him to training. 

Ebisu wanted to grab that hand and run, maybe take the kid to big breakfast under the pretence storing up for a hard day of training before he took the kid to the lake. Konohamaru always loved training by the lake, mainly because the kid loved to swim...but there was something he need Konohamaru to do first. 

“Before we go, there are two things you need to do.” Ebisu didn’t take the kid’s hand, instead he motioned towards Iruka and Maru. 

Konohamaru blinked before his eyes narrowed at Ebisu. The tutor tensed, wondering how this was going to go before suddenly Iruka was kneeling down infront of Konohamaru. 

“You are always welcome to come visit me.” Iruka whispered but it was clear that everyone was listening in. The longer Ebisu looked at the teacher the more exhausted the chunin seemed. Ebisu found himself making a note to take Iruka out for a meal sooner rather than later. Iruka gave Konohamaru a sad smile before he nodded to Maru. “We miss them, and that’s okay, we are supposed to miss them. Hiruma and Namaiki were my friends, they were your parents but...Konohamaru, they were Maru-san’s family. They were Moegi-chan’s family. They miss them too.” 

Konohamaru’s lip quivered at that before he was gripping Iruka’s sleeve. The kid took a deep breath before he turned to the ladies and gave them a bow. “I’m sorry.” 

“Kono-kun…” Moegi looked like she was about to cry as well, and Ebisu knew he only had a few seconds before this all ended in tears. He stepped forward and moved to Konohamaru forcing the kid to face Iruka again. 

“Now what do we say to Iruka-sensei?” Ebisu kept his voice quiet and gave the chunin a look when Iruka looked like he was about to protest. “Konohamaru?”

“T-thank you.” Konohamaru whispered as he gave Iruka a small bow again. He held onto Iruka for a few more second before he glanced up at the chunin, his eyes were unsure but it seemed Iruka understood the question the kid was refusing to ask. 

“Any time.” Iruka nodded with a smile. “Just make sure you get permission first next time.” 

They both shared a smile at that and Ebisu let out a breath of relief when Konohamaru held out his hand to him again and the tutor gladly took it. He made sure to give everyone a small bow before he took off to the city. 

Breakfast first, then the lake. 

And if he was able to get Konohamaru to smile at least once today, he would consider it a win. 

\---

“That went better than expected…” Kurenai let out a breath and Gai found himself nodding in agreement. 

It was one thing to barge into the Hokage’s office, and it was another thing to barge in and make demands of the most respected leader. Gai had already done this once, a long time ago, when he had demanded to be allowed to join the ANBU but the Hokage had humored him before turning him down. 

And then today Kurenai, Asuma and Gai had interrupted the old man’s tea to ask the old man to not only remove Kakashi from ANBU but to make their friend a jonin-sensei. It was something that all three of them were currently working towards but they knew that it was something Kakashi needed. 

If his rival could take on some students, make Kakashi would feel as if he was part of something again. Maybe Kakashi could see the light again, could see how the village needed him -- not as a weapon, but as the amazing man that he was. 

“The old man had been planning for his.” Asuma huffed as he lit up a cigarette. “I wonder when he had realized that he was losing Kakashi.”

Kurenai frowned at Asuma, clearly about to say something about the man’s tone before Asuma sighed and hung his head. The older man just shook his head in an apology and Kurenai sighed as he leaned against the building. 

“It will take some time before he can be released to his new position.” Gai hummed as he tapped his chin. “First thing is first, we need to help our friend find a new home.” 

“Already on it.” Asuma groaned like an old man as he forced himself to his feet. “Genma has a house.” 

“A house?” Gai and Kurenai spoke at the same time and Gai laughed at that. They had been friends for years but since she had moved in with him and he sometimes felt like she had become more of an extension of himself. 

Gai was lucky to have so many amazing friends. 

“Yeah.” Asuma gave Gai a weird look before he continued. “Apparently he ran into some infamously unlucky loser at a gambling house a few months back, won big by constantly betting against them, and then decided to buy a house.” 

“What kind of house?” Kurenai wrinkled her nose at whatever she was picturing and Gai found himself agreeing. 

Genma was an amazing shinobi, Gai didn’t think it would be long before the special jonin because a fully fledged jonin but he also knew that Genma was a bit of a slob. The senbon chewing man was good to be where his village needed him, and if they needed someone with a specialty then that was where he was going to be...Gai figured that was all that mattered. 

Right now, the village needed him to house one of her children! Gai found himself tearing up at the thought, Genma would probably put up some protest but Genma was always there for a friend in need and Kakashi was their friend! 

Truly, Gai was blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing people. 

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop.” Asuma huffed at Gai before he pointed over at Genma. “There he is, let’s go bully him until he gives in.”

“Or just ask nicely.” Kurenai laughed. 

“Genma!” Gai couldn’t help but smile as he yelled. “Let us ask of you a favor that will truly be a blessing for the village and your life as well!” 

“What?” Genma looked confused as he watched them approach him. 

Gai didn’t even hesitate as he pulled the man into a hug. 

It would all be okay. 

\---

“What did you do to your voice?” Mizuki tried to keep his voice from sounding accusatory but Iruka sounded like crap. “Are you getting sick?”

“I’m not getting sick.” Iruka groaned as he fell back into his chair in the dining room. Mizuki glared at his friend before he turned to the text in front of him, he was once again studying to work at the academy and if Mizuki didn’t pass this year then he was going to be pissed. 

More pissed than he already was. 

He already knew all of information for the test, all his marks on the tests were nearly perfect. 

His reaction time in the physical trials had only gotten better, but that was something that Mizuki never doubted as he had always outranked Iruka when it had come to strength and skill. 

Which left the personality portion. Mizuki let out a huff as he rolled the scroll out further on the table. He knew that people were watching him, that he had gotten a marker on his record ever since that mission where Azusa died. Mizuki wasn’t going to let that get to him though, he had his own goals and if that meant catering his own personality to what the higher-ups wanted then he would. 

And if they wanted more Iruka’s, then he would be their next Iruka. 

“Mizuki?” Iruka’s voice sounded like sandpaper and Mizuki found himself wondering when Tsubaki would return with the take out. Mizuki’s apartment was small, so it would get a little cramped, but Mizuki figured his fiance would be able to heal up Iruka’s throat before the noise irritated him any more. 

“You sure you’re not sick?” Mizuki sighed as he leaned on his hand, making sure to give Iruka a once over. His fellow chunin seemed tired, but Iruka had been tired for months as far as Mizuki was concerned. He knew that Iruka was going through personal stuff, had made an effort to be there for his childhood friend when it was clear that Iruka needed someone to talk to but Mizuki was honestly finding it all exhausting. 

Thankfully Iruka seemed to be dealing with most of his stuff on his own, Mizuki didn’t want to seem selfish but he didn’t want to have to go out of his way for whatever minor turmoil Iruka was dealing with. His time was important and Iruka was an adult, he could take care of himself. 

Mizuki had his own obligations that were taking priority. 

“I’m practicing a new jutsu.” Iruka croaked before he took a sip of water. He cleared his throat a bit before continued. “I wasn’t prepared for the blowback.” 

“A new jutsu?” Mizuki felt the thrum of interest under his skin. 

A new jutsu would be interesting. He briefly wondered if it was something that he could learn himself, maybe show up at the test with a new skill to wow the moderators but found himself shaking his head. 

He didn’t need to wow anybody, he just needed to get by. Just get by. 

The Iruka treatment, as he liked to call it in his head. 

“Stop looking at me like that, I’ll tell you about it after I figure it out.” Iruka sighed as he rubbed his throat. “But I might not be able to do it after all.” 

“Does it need a specific nature type?” Mizuki moved his papers out of the way and grabbed a clean sheet and a pen. “I bet we could walk through it.” 

Iruka shook his head, to Mizuki’s disappointment, before pulling the scrolls back over. “How about we finish studying before Tsubaki gets back, then if you get me pleasantly drunk we can talk more about it.” 

Mizuki forced a smile on his face as he shoved Iruka over playfully. 

He would worry the new jutsu later, first he would make sure he was as unremarkable as Iruka for the test. Then, after he finally passed, he could continue his plan for getting more power. He just needed to bide his time and wait. 

His time would come. 

\---

Tenzo stared at the scorched land with a frown. 

He was mad. 

No, scratch that. He was furious. Tenzo took a deep breath, letting the air around him stir as he released it. He blinked at the ruins of his senpai’s land and had to clench his fists. 

This.

This was new. 

This anger towards Kakashi. Towards the man he had known for nearly 10 years, this idiot that had not only shown him that there was more to the village than Root, but showed him that there was more to life than the mission. 

Tenzo wanted to grab Kakashi and make him explain. He wanted to shake the lanky man until whatever was happening made sense because Tenzo couldn’t understand. Tenzo would be the first to admit that some civilian interactions, some human novelties, were still foreign to him. He knew that he was emotionally stunted, that his childhood in a tube, his adolescence with Danzo, even his freedom he found in ANBU showed how truly messed up he was but he still couldn’t understand why Kakashi had done this. 

Why hadn’t Kakashi come to him? 

There was a snap of wood behind him and Tenzo didn’t bother reacting as he stared at the wreckage in front of him. 

“Ah…” Kakashi’s voice seemed hesitant and it made Tenzo clench his fists as he stared forward. “I see you found out.” 

There was only a slight gust of air before Tenzo had Kakashi on the ground. He hadn’t even been aware he was moving before he had thrown his senpai to the dirt and stared at that bored eye. Kakashi had the decency to look startled and Tenzo didn’t even know what kind of expression he could be making but it didn’t matter. 

“You were in the house.” Tenzo shook his head as if to take away the truth of that statement, his grip tightening on Kakashi’s shirt--no, this wasn’t Kakashi’s shirt, it was too loose on his wire frame, clearly meant for someone with wider shoulders--Gai’s shirt. Kakashi looked like he was trying to decide whether to say something or not but Tenzo just released him and sat on his senpai’s stomach for a few moments. “I found out this morning.” 

“I would have told you but you were on mission.” Kakashi’s voice seemed bored and Tenzo felt the anger boiling up again. 

“You wouldn’t have been able to tell me if you were dead.” Tenzo’s voice felt flat, and he found a moment of peace in that. He could lock this emotion away, he didn’t have to deal with it right now. 

“Don’t.” Kakashi was sitting up and grabbing Tenzo’s shoulder. He looked worried again and Tenzo found himself confused. “Don’t shut down, please.” 

Kakashi must have realized that he had no right to ask something like that and let his arms fall. The older man seemed lost for a second as he stared at his hands. 

Tenzo felt a tightening in his chest and realized he couldn’t recognize this emotion. 

Another new one. 

Stupid senpai. 

“Do you want me to build you a new house?” Tenzo got to his feet and helped Kakashi up with a few awkward moments. Kakashi shook his head and Tenzo found himself shrugging. 

He wouldn’t have made a big house anyway. 

“I’m…” 

Tenzo waited a few seconds for Kakashi to continue and when nothing came he started to make his way into the property. He could see the pond was still there and wondered if the fish had somehow survived the fire. 

“I’m sorry.” Kakashi’s voice was a little higher than usual and Tenzo found himself freezing in place at the words. 

Senpai never apologized. 

Ever. 

He turned his attention to Kakashi and blinked slowly at him. Kakashi met his eyes for a second before turning away and looking towards the road. There were a few seconds of silence before Kakashi turned back to Tenzo with a sigh and motioned to continue to moving forward into the yard. “Did the fish make it?”

Tenzo turned his attention back to the pond and found one fish swimming in the water. The fished seemed to recognize him and splashed his tail in a fit of anger before swimming away. 

The younger man didn’t know why, but he found peace in that moment. 

It would be okay. 

Same couldn’t be said for the other two koi that Kakashi had caught at the festival those years ago. Tenzo could see what was left of them on the part of the pond that had been burnt in the fire, the stones black in the heat of flames. 

“You can have it.” Kakashi was beside Tenzo and both men stared down at the angry, and now scarred fish. “I don’t think I should be trusted with anything for a while.” 

“I agree.” Tenzo nodded before giving Kakashi a small smile. “Need help buying a new uniform?” 

Kakashi seemed to deflate at that, as if he had been waiting for an axe but had just gotten a smile instead. Tenzo felt warmth rushing to his face. It was clear how much his opinion had meant to his senpai and now Tenzo could see how Kakashi had been prepared for rejection. 

Tenzo forgave Kakashi right there in that moment. 

“Maa, you saying that I don’t look good in Gai’s cloths?” Kakashi rubbed his mask as he looked down at the baggy cloths. 

“I’m saying that I will help you buy some new ones.” Tenzo rolled his eyes with exaggeration so that Kakashi could see that he was playing around. “Poor senpai.” 

“But first, the fish.” Kakashi pointed at the angry koi and Tenzo found himself nodding. 

“I’ll make a new home for chibi.” Tenzo nodded with all seriousness. He could feel Kakashi blinking at him before turning to the fish again. 

“Chibi is already two feet long.” Kakashi sighed. “You’re bad at naming fish.” 

Tenzo didn’t bother to hide his smile at that. 

\---

Naruto gasped for air as he jumped onto the next roof. 

Oh, that had been too close! The blond found himself running as fast as his legs could take him as he heard the yelling behind him. It had only been a small prank on a few of the bridges in the city. 

Nothing major. 

They were just slicked with oil so that if anyone walked across they were more likely to slip and fall in the river than actually make it to the other side. Naruto didn’t bother to hold back his laughter at that. He had even seen some of the people fall in and Naruto knew that this was going to be a memory he carried with him for a years. 

The look on Kiba’s face! 

“There he is!” Naruto yelped as a hand nearly got his ankle and he skidded along another roof. He was moving too fast and didn’t have the control to catch himself which is how he found himself falling off the side of the building and into the alley. 

There was a rope with laundry drying that slowed him down for a second before Naruto hit the ground with a hard thud. He could taste some blood in his mouth which meant he had bit his cheek but the blond didn’t have time to slow down. He could already see the shadows of his pursuers on the ground. 

There was a loud bang as Naruto threw a trash can to the ground and turned the corner. He found himself running through another alley before he made it up some steps and turned the corner only to bump into something hard. 

“Ow!” The blond fell back and rubbed his head as he squinted one eye to see who had stopped him only to have his heart stop at the sight of his teacher. “Iruka-sensei?!” 

“Naruto?” Iruka sighed as he rubbed his stomach where the kid had hit him. The teacher was about to yell at the blond for running in the halls before they heard a group of grown men cursing and running up the stairs. 

Naruto saw the moment when Iruka realized what was happening, he was ready for the teacher to grab him and the blond had found himself resigning to his fate before suddenly he was shoved behind the teacher and against the wall. Naruto furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at his teacher’s back before the first man ran around the corner and almost bumped into Iruka. 

“Iruka-sensei!” The man wheezed as he wiped his forehead. “Have you seen that brat?”

Naruto was about to yell something back at the man before he realized that Iruka’s hand was on his chest. The blond blinked for a few moments before he realized that the buzz he was feeling was not his own chakra or adrenaline but Iruka’s as the teacher had henge’d Naruto into a door. 

Naruto was a door. 

It looked like the teacher was just leaning against the door as he stared at the wheezing man in confusion. Naruto wanted to laugh out loud at that but kept himself silent. He couldn’t help the grin though as he stared at his teacher. 

Iruka-sensei was the coolest. 

“Brat?” Iruka asked, seemingly confused, but it was enough time for the other two men to catch up. “I haven’t seen anyone in this hallway, but I was just about to organize some files…” 

“Sorry for disturbing you.” The men did a small bow before they made their way back down the stairs, muttering about getting the wrong turn and finding the stupid brat to make him clean up the mess. 

Naruto held as still as possible for a few moments before Iruka released him and he didn’t bother fighting back the laughter. “SENSEI! That was so awesome! You are the best!” 

The blond watched as amusement danced across Iruka’s features and found himself grinning even wider. His sensei had seemed distracted for the past few weeks and Naruto didn’t want to admit it but he had been worried. The blond shook his head as he laughed again, it didn’t matter now because Iruka-sensei was the best. 

“Naruto.” Iruka sighed and rubbed his nose. Naruto already felt a frown start forming on his face, but Iruka continued. “You still have to clean up whatever you did.” 

“BUT--” Naruto started and Iruka smiled down at the boy. Naruto found himself silent because it was hard to argue with someone that seemed happy to see you. 

“What if I help you?” Iruka glanced at the clock on the wall and shrugged. “I’ll help you and if you get it done in the next hour then I’ll treat you to dinner.” 

“Ramen?” Naruto almost stuttered the word. 

He would do anything for ramen. 

Iruka seemed to realize this and let out a small laugh before nodding his head. The blond didn’t care that he was going to have to clean up the oil, it would be easy if he had a giant bowl of ramen waiting for him at the end. 

Naruto gave a shout of joy and started to make his way down the stairs. He didn’t have to look back to see if Iruka was following him because after all of this time Naruto had learned one thing about his sensei. 

Iruka always kept his word. 

\---

Genma didn’t know how he always got stuck in these situations but he was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, it was him. 

“It is your fault.” Raido sighed as he moved more boxes into the living room. “We had a perfectly good storage space and now I have to move everything to the shed outside--” 

“I have a perfectly good house with three bedrooms, one that I let you rent.” Genma sighed from his spot on the sofa. “You were supposed to move your extra crap to the shed three months ago, it’s not my fault that you left it all in the spare room.” 

“I don’t even use my room anymore.” Raido sighed. 

“Which is worse!” Genma laughed. “Your crap is taking up two rooms, even though you still sleep in mine. Why do you even own so much stuff?”

Raido grumbled something and Genma smirked around his senbon.

“When is Kakashi supposed to get here?” Raido sighed as he brought out another box. “This would go quicker if you helped.” 

“It would.” Genma agreed but didn’t bother to move. “He’s going to bring everything today before he leaves on his mission. So just get it done today and we should be good.” 

“I can’t believe he’s moving in.” Raido sighed, before seeming to realize how he sounded and continued. “He’s a good guy, we graduated the Academy around the same time despite the age difference.” 

Genma sat up at that and made a continue motion with his hand. “But?”

“But I don’t really know the guy. Different circles.” Raido just shrugged. “I didn’t even know that you knew him.” 

Genma smiled at that before he plopped down on the couch. “What can I say, I know everyone. I am well and truly loved.” 

“Well, mister well and truly loved, if you want me to have the energy to well and truly fuck you after this then I suggest you help out.” Raido grunted as he lifted another box. 

Genma waited a few moments as if to contemplate it before he made his way to his feet. He wasn’t one to deny motivation like that. 

\---

Inoichi felt a headache coming on. 

“How many times has this happened?” He tried to keep his voice steady as he stared at the destroyed apartment around him and the chunin who was sitting on the shredded bed and not meeting his eyes. 

“This is the third time.” Iruka mumbled and Inoichi wanted to throw something, but since he couldn’t, he just crossed his arms. 

“I see…” Inoichi glanced over to see Hayate and an ANBU talking in the corner. They had been first on the scene, Hayate having shown up to the scene with Iruka because he was going to borrow some of Iruka’s explosive tags for his mission the next day. Inoichi sighed before he turned to Hayate. “Thank you for sticking around but I believe you have a mission to get to.” 

Hayate looked like he was about to protest so Inoichi glared at the swordsman. Hayate coughed for a second before he glanced at Iruka. “Umm…” 

“Go, you need still need to pick up some things. I’ll be fine.” No one was convinced of Iruka’s smile but Hayate left all the same. 

Inoichi took a deep breath and tried to think rationally. Iruka wasn’t stupid, in fact, he was probably the most aware young man that Inoichi currently knew. If this was the third time that someone had broken into Iruka’s apartment, the chunin was either being harassed or the culprit was looking for something. 

Maybe both. 

“What are you hiding?” Inoichi kept his voice calm but felt his eyes narrowing as Iruka flinched at the question. “Iruka…” 

The jonin tried not to be worried as Iruka glanced around his apartment, as if checking for anyone who shouldn’t be there even though it was just the two of them and the ANBU. He turned to masked woman and signaled for her to seal the building. She gave him a small nod and disappeared, it was only a few moments before a wave a chakra went over the building and Inoichi took a breath, placing his hands on his hips. 

“I honestly don’t know why my apartment is being broken into.” Iruka spoke as soon as the chakra had settled and his face looked honestly confused. 

Inoichi wasn’t going to let this go. 

“What are you hiding?” Inoichi sighed. Iruka glanced over to a distant wall and Inoichi found himself rolling his eyes at how obvious Iruka could be. It seemed he still had all his usual tells, especially when he was within his own home. “Iruka…” 

Iruka just sighed as he got up and went over to the wall, he did a few hand seals and then Inoichi noticed a small closet against the wall. He blinked, because he was sure he had seen the door when he had walked around the room but he couldn’t remember why he hadn’t paid attention to it. 

“Peripheral seal?” Inoichi found himself sounding impressed, he ignored Iruka’s blush as he went over to the closet. It had been a while since Inoichi had seen one of those seals in action, they were considered out dated since there were more surer ways to hide things. The blond laughed. 

The thieves probably hadn’t bothered checking for such a basic technique. 

“It’s just some things from my parents, and a few things from Uzutoshi.” Iruka opened the small closet and showed Inoichi the content. “And a few of my winter clothes because I didn’t have space in my front closet.” 

Of course. 

Inoichi sighed as he rubbed his forehead. 

Of course Iruka would put his winter cloths with whatever he was hiding in his parents stuff. Most likely some family jutsu, and while Inoichi was curious he didn’t see anything that really concerned him. 

“I want you packed up and ready to move by end of day.” Inoichi waved off any protest that Iruka could have. “You can store your belongings at my estate while you look for a new apartment.” 

The older man watched as Iruka’s eyes darted all over the place, wondered what memories Iruka was trying to hold onto as the chunin frowned at the apartment. 

“And I suggest you get help guarding your next place.” Inoichi pulled on his ponytail before placing his hand gently on Iruka’s shoulder. “I’ll come help you with your things after dinner.” 

Iruka seemed ready to argue again but then the chunin shook his head and gave Inoichi a smile that was small but still genuine. “Thanks, sensei.” 

With that taken care of Inoichi made his way out of the building. He let the ANBU know they could unseal the place as he made his way over to Hokage Tower, wondering how the old man would take the news. Inoichi frowned, he wondered if there was something that was going on that involved Iruka but shook his head. 

Surely if there was something happening, Sandaime would have let him know. 

\---

The Hokage felt a headache coming on. 

He had sent Kakashi on his last ANBU mission, was looking forward to releasing the young jonin from his duties and establishing Kakashi as a jonin sensei, but the mission had gone sideways and he hadn’t gotten an update from Kakashi’s team in a week. 

Hiruzen hoped that Gai’s team would figure out what happened, and soon. 

Then there was the young man in front of him. 

“Iruka-kun, I really think-” The old man felt tired as he stared at the chunin. 

“Hokage-sama.” Iruka interrupted with a polite bow. “You are in need of help at the mission desk, I would like to take on more responsibility and start managing the desk for you.” 

“On top of your classes?” Hiruzen knew that Iruka already had a full load of work with Naruto’s class. “Think of your students, sensei.”

Hiruzen watched Iruka frown at that. The old man realized his mistake before Iruka even started reprimanding him. 

“I wouldn’t offer my services unless I was sure that I could do it, Hokaga-sama.” Hiruzen had never heard ‘sama’ sound so much like an insult but Iruka had always been able to insult and be polite at the same time. The chunin continued. “If you feel that I would neglect my students then clearly I have set a bad example for myself and my students.” 

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Hiruzen sat back and stared at the young man in front of him. He knew that Iruka was still living in a hotel, his possessions were still at the Yamanaka estate. Hiruzen knew that Iruka had been restless on his leave from missions but he still wondered if the young man was taking on too much. 

Hiruzen sighed. 

“You can start tomorrow.” The old man gave Iruka a smile as the chunin perked up at that. “I believe Shikaku has been in charge to the scheduling of shifts and missions, so I will leave it up to the two of you to determine what your role should be.”

And if Hiruzen was passing the buck to his Jonin commander, well so be it. Hiruzen had always been bad at saying no to Iruka, so the old man wished better luck for Shikaku. 

They made small talk for a few more moments before HIruzen knew that he was about to be pulled away. Iruka seemed to be getting back to his usual self, which was something that Hiruzen was happy to see. Iruka was young, and while life had not been kind to him, he had a soft heart that seemed to bring light to those around him. 

It was one of the reasons that Hiruzen respected Iruka so much. 

\---

Teuchi smiled at the business he was having today. The typical lunch rush was over but it seemed that people were still coming in consistently and ordering food. He smiled as he continued to make more and more noodles. 

There was a small clatter of someone dropping their chopsticks and a hush that had Teuchi glancing up only to see Naruto walking in the stand with a huge smile. 

“Old man!” Naruto shouted with a laugh. 

The young kid didn’t notice the glares, or how the stand suddenly went silent as he walked in. The blond ran up to the only empty stool and jumped into it as he laid out his coins for Teuchi. 

“One bowl of ramen, please!” Naruto laughed with a huge grin, and Teuchi found himself smiling back as he counted the coins to realize that Naruto had exactly enough to get the small bowl. 

“Of course.” Teuchi smiled at the boy as we slid the coins off the counter and started making a large bowl. He had already had such business today, he could give the boy a little extra. 

“Thank you for the meal.” Teuchi paused as he realized how silent the stand had become as one by one the adults finished their meals and left. It was like a blink of the eye and suddenly it was just Teuchi and Naruto. 

So much for his busy day. 

The cook frowned but made sure to bring a smile to his face as he placed the bowl in front of Naruto. “Seemed I made too much, I’ll upgrade you to a large on the house.”

“Thanks, old man!” Naruto smiled brightly before he started slurping the noodles and Teuchi just shook his head. 

Naruto was just a kid. 

He could understand the citizens wanted to distance themselves, the memories would always feel fresh for some in the village. Teuchi had his own scars that ached when he saw the child, but then Naruto would smile at him. The old man felt that many people were missing out on watching a truly extraordinary child grow. 

Naruto wasn’t the smartest, but he had a lot of energy and heart. 

As far as Teuchi was concerned, that was all that mattered. 

\---

Raido sighed at the drunk chunin in his arms. 

Everyone knew Iruka was a bit of a light weight and he wasn’t even sure how the teacher had ended up like this. Raido had gone out drinking with a few of his fellow jonin when they had come across the drunk teacher, Iruka mumbling something about Mizuki -- a chunin that Raido was going to find tomorrow to figure out why Iruka had been abandoned outside of a bar -- and somehow Raido had been tasked with making sure that Iruka made it through the night without ending up in the hospital. 

If he was honest with himself, Raido felt some responsibility to the young chunin since he had spent a good chunk of his Team Shikaku years chasing after the hellion of a genin. 

Raido was glad that Iruka had grown up and wasn’t doing pranks anymore. 

“Oh man, where did you find that?” Genma laughed from his spot on the floor, the light haired brunette was barefoot and had clearly returned from his retrieval mission some time ago. 

“He was left in a basket on our doorstep.” Raido sighed as Iruka giggled at that, the chunin took a few steps on his own before tilting sideways and Raido made sure to pull him back so that he could hold the chunin up. “When did you get back? Did you guys--”

Genma nodded but glanced at Iruka to show that he wasn’t going to be able to say anything with their guest there. Raido just sighed as he pulled the drunk to the bathroom. “Iruka, take a bath and clean yourself up. Don’t drown. If you take too long then I’ll have to go in there and it will be embarrassing for us both.” 

“I don’t want to see you naked.” Iruka nodded in agreement as he scrunched his nose at Raido before stumbling into the bathroom starting to strip. Raido just sighed as he shut the door and then made his way back to Genma who looked way too amused. 

“Kakashi?” Raido asked as he fell on the couch. 

“You don’t even try with the foreplay, do you?” Genma took the senbon out of his mouth and sighed, letting his head fall back so that it was on Raido’s leg. “Not good. Found him and his team holed up in ghost town, Kakashi had managed to keep his team and their client alive but just barely. He was worst than all of them--”

“Timeline?” Raido asked to keep Genma from going into the details. 

“If Kakashi wakes up from his coma?” Genma shrugged. “He’s in the hospital, he’s alive, and that’s all we should worry about right now.”

There was the sound of someone slipping, a thud, and then Iruka yelling that he was okay before Raido turned his attention back to Genma. “Coma?”

“More like induced sleep.” Genma shrugged. “The doctors drugged him before we even got into the hospital, apparently Kakashi is an infamous runner.” 

That was an understatement. Jonin as a whole tended to avoid the hospital, most of them too paranoid to be around the drugs that could potentially delay their reaction time, but Kakashi was a legend. Raido heard stories, from a preteen Kakashi putting a whole wing under a genjutsu to escape to a teen Kakashi who had managed to disappear without a trace despite his blood loss and chakra depletion. Both had been so bad that the hospital had actually called a time of death, no one believe that Kakashi would be able to make it without professional help. 

Raido mentioned some of the stories he knew to Genma and was only surprised to hear about the ones that Genma could verify. 

“He’s back.” Genma sat back up. “That’s all that matters.”

Raido agreed and then the door opened to reveal a flushed Iruka who seemed to have sobered up a bit as he blinked at both of them in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry--” 

“I’ll grab a blanket from the guest room.” Genma rolled to his feet. “Hope you don’t mind sleeping on the couch, but we have someone taking up the spare room.” 

“Oh?” Iruka toweled off his hair as he sat on the couch. “I didn’t know you were renting out the spare.” 

Raido rolled his eyes at the both of them before he yawned. Iruka laughed before he yawned as well and Raido sighed as Genma teased them both. Once Raido ensured that Iruka was tucked into the couch and on the verge of falling asleep, he dragged Genma back to the master bedroom with him. 

“Oh man.” Genma sighed as he laid back on the blankets. “I just realized how awkward that could have been if Kakashi had come back home.”

“Awkward?” Raido frowned, realizing that he was missing something. He wasn’t sure what would have been awkward for Kakashi. 

“Iruka?” Genma was clearly trying to give him a hint but Raido just shrugged. The older jonin kind of prided himself on the fact that he wasn’t so involved in the gossip grapevine, if he needed to know anything then usually Genma was the one to let him know. 

If he didn’t know, just meant that he didn’t need to. 

Genma just tsk’d him before falling back on his pillow. “They had a thing for a while, remember those few months where Kakashi was actually showing up to group events?”

Raido didn’t, because he didn’t show up to group events. 

Maybe he should get out more. 

“You really need to get out more.” Genma voiced Raido’s thoughts and the jonin just made a continue motion with his hand. “I’m not sure when it started or when it ended, but if you ever see them run into each other then it’s nothing but formal greetings and wistful looks. It’s pretty sad.” 

“I’m sure it could be worse.” Raido didn’t think that the situation sounded that awkward but decided to trust Genma on this one. “Don’t worry, Iruka will be gone in the morning.” 

It would all be fine. 

Or not. 

Raido was on his feet, kunai in hand, before he even finished waking up. He blinked a few times, trying to get his mind to catch up as Genma stood crouched next to him. Both men had a few moments of nothing but their breaths filling the room before they felt it again, a small burst of chakra. 

“Kakashi.” Genma’s voice was soft as he confirmed who it was, the special jonin staying on his toes as he made his way out of his bedroom. Raido watched his lover and made sure to keep his guard up as they made their way down the hall. 

There was a small thump, a then Raido could make out some whispering coming from the living room. 

Whatever the older man had mentally prepared himself to see in the living room, he was still shocked at the sight. Kakashi was against the back of the wall, his body still wrapped in bandages, an IV bag taped to his arm with some sort of duct tape that the jonin had probably stolen from the hospital, the mask was up but the headband was gone as he stared at Iruka. 

“Kakashi.” Iruka was talking softly, saying some nonsense as he held up his hands to show that he had no weapon. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Kakashi.” Genma barked at the jonin, there was a flicker as the sharingan spun at the sight of Genma and Raido, Radio barely had a chance to pull Genma out of the way as a kunai embedded itself against the wall. 

“Stop!” Iruka shouted, and Raido didn’t appreciate being yelled at when they weren’t the ones attacking people in the living room. Iruka glared at both of them, but kept his voice quiet. “I need both of you to be still. He’s having an episode.” 

Raido wanted to argue but instead put his hand on Genma’s shoulder to keep his lover in place as they watched Iruka try to approach Kakashi again. The jonin didn’t seem to have anymore weapons on him but they knew it didn’t mean anything. Kakashi looked paler than usual, his body sliding against the wall as if to make more space between him and Iruka, and that’s when Raido saw the blood against the wall. 

Kakashi had reopened his wounds. 

Genma was making a first aide signal on Raido’s arm and the older man knew that they would need to be quick, Kakashi could be bleeding out and not even realize. 

Iruka tensed, clearly seeing the blood as well, and chunin took another step forward. Kakashi had another kunai up and in the air before anyone could blink, but he didn’t release it. 

“You don’t want to hurt me.” Iruka’s voice wavered, as if he was unsure, and Raido wondered if he should send out a chakra flair for the ANBU. Would they get here before anyone got hurt? “No one is going to hurt you, Kakashi. We’re your friends.” 

Kakashi’s head tilted at that, his hand going lax and Iruka was suddenly in the jonin’s space. Raido was up on his feet in an instant, it was only Genma’s grip on him that prevented him from separating the two of them as he watched both the jonin and chunin slide to the ground. The kunai was gone, Raido could see it on the ground a few feet away from Iruka and he wondered when Iruka had gotten it out of Kakashi’s hands. 

“You are safe.” Iruka’s fingers were gripping Kakashi’s tightly and the jonin stared at Iruka as if he had never seen the chunin before. “You’re safe.” 

There was a tense silence as Kakashi’s grip on Iruka’s hands only seemed to tighten, the chunin flinching at the strength before suddenly Iruka was using his and Kakashi’s hands to make a seal. 

“Iruka--” Raido warned but Iruka cut him off. 

“Ne.” Iruka spoke louder, drowning out Raido’s voice and the older man wanted to yell at the chunin. Kakashi was dangerous, Iruka didn’t know what he was--

Iruka was making a Mi seal. 

Kakashi seemed to stare at their hands for a long time before he blinked slowly, his sharingan spinning as he turned his attention back to Iruka. The jonin blinked again and Iruka started making another seal. 

“Histuji.” Iruka’s voice was confident even as he made the seal for Tora. 

Raido was lost. 

The older man had no idea what was happening, 

There was just a small breath before Kakashi’s whole body seemed to collapse against the wall like a puppet with no strings. Kakashi kept his hand intertwined with Iruka’s as he blinked at the chunin and Iruka let out a ragged breath as he forced a smile to his face. “You’re home.” 

“I’m home.” Kakashi repeated in a rough whisper and Genma took at as his cue to join the two. Raido barely swore under his breath as he grabbed the first aide from the kitchen and ran back to the living room. 

When the older man returned, Iruka and Kakashi were separated. Kakashi taking verbal abuse from Genma as Iruka made his way to the couch on shaky legs. Raido made a call and threw the first aide kit to Genma, who caught it with ease as he started to assess Kakashi’s wounds. Raido made his way over to Iruka and helped the chunin sit on the couch before the adrenaline caused him to fall. 

“You did good.” Raido kept his voice light and Iruka started to shake his head. “You did good, Iruka.” 

“I’ve never--” Iruka put his face in his hands and started to rock a bit. “I’ve never seen him like that.” 

“It happens.” Raido wanted to make sure that Iruka was aware of this. He wasn’t sure what had happened between the two but he wanted the chunin to know that this did happen, and not just to Kakashi. “You did everything right.” 

Iruka let out a soft laugh at that as he raised his head to look at Raido. His eyes were shining as if he was fighting back tears but it was clear that he hadn’t been crying. “I better do everything right, I teach the fucking class.” 

“Ooh, Iruka-sensei swore.” Genma laughed from where he was wrapping a now unconscious Kakashi. Raido eyed the sleeping form and was happy to see that he hadn’t reopened any larger wounds. “He’s drugged up to the gills and still managed to make it here.” 

“Kakashi-san hates hospitals.” Iruka whispered against his fingered before he took a deep breath. “I think...I think I should head back.” 

“Iruka--” Raido didn’t think that it would be a good idea, clearly the chunin wouldn’t be going back to sleep and Raido didn’t want Iruka walking the streets like this. 

“It’s fine.” Iruka took another breath. “He won’t want me here when he wakes up, especially if he remembers this.” 

Raido was about to argue but Genma cut him off. “Walk safe, sensei. I’ll grab you tomorrow for lunch so make sure you aren’t too hard to find.” 

Iruka looked like he wanted to argue, or possibly flee to scene without saying anything, but clearly Iruka knew that Genma was not someone to run from and his shoulders sagged. The teacher nodded his head in agreement before got to his feet and started to pick up his cloths that he had stripped off to sleep. 

Raido still wasn’t sure what was happening, he had more questions than answers at this point, but he decided to let it go. 

Genma would let him know, if he needed to know. 

\---

Kurenai wasn’t sure when Genma and Iruka had become friends, but she decided she didn’t mind as she watched the two of them argue with each other from the other side of the dango shop. 

She liked it when attractive men argued with each other. 

It was her thing. 

\---

Sasuke watched as his sensei ran out of the classroom, Naruto’s laughter could be heard throughout the halls and the Uchiha figured it would only be a matter of time before their teacher caught the loud blond. He glanced at the clock and rolled his eyes as he put his books together. 

There was a loud short scream from Naruto, and then the school bell rang. Sasuke was already opening the door before the rest of his class could make sense of what was going on. He heard a few shouts for his name but didn’t bother to turn to see who was calling for him. 

He had only so much time to do what he wanted. He had finally lost his guard, the ones he wasn’t supposed to know about, and Sasuke planned to enjoy his freedom while he had it and he was going to go back home. 

The Uchiha compound was forbidden to everyone. 

Even the last Uchiha. 

Sasuke frowned as he walked the streets, it felt like his home had been frozen in a museum. The young Uchiha could see dust covering furniture through the windows. His once happy home nothing but a lifeless reminder of all the lives his brother had taken. 

Itachi. 

His parent’s blood had stained their floor. Sasuke found himself staring at it for a few moments before he forced himself out of the house. 

It didn’t make sense. 

Why. 

Why would Itachi do this? 

Sasuke hadn’t even realized he was running until a branch cut his cheek as he made it further and further from the entrance to the compound. He swore under his breath as he broke free from the trees, running down the main road and back towards the village. He didn’t have to go far before he was running down the dock and jumping into the water. 

His father had trained him here. 

Had taught him how to use fire. 

Sasuke let the water pull him deeper into the lake, letting the water sting against his eyes for the tears he wasn’t able to cry anymore. 

Why had this happened?

There was a movement in the water. 

A noise that shouldn’t be there. 

Sasuke only had a moment to realize that someone else was with him before he was suddenly tugged back. His shirt being pulled as legs kicked against his, trying to get him to the surface. The water broke with a gasp, Sasuke turned to yell at his supposed savior only to shout as he recognized the blond hair. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Me?” Naruto coughed as he continued to try and drag Sasuke back to the shore. The Uchiha growled and shoved Naruto under the water before he started swimming on his own. 

Naruto sputtered behind him. “I was trying to save your ass!” 

Sasuke didn’t respond as his feet hit the ground. He just turned to glare at his classmate. Naruto was glaring right back at him from the water. “Leave me alone.”

There was some splashing but Sasuke ignored it as he made his way back to the street. He hated walking back in wet cloths but he figured it was for the best, it was better than sticking around with that idiot. Sasuke found himself slowing down as he heard more curses from Naruto and turned slowly to see Naruto stripping off his shirt to wring out the water. 

The idiot would be fine. 

\---

“So this is it?” Yugao sighed as she walked around the very empty and very boring dorm room. “You’re in the jonin dorms?”

She turned to see Kakashi shrug at her as he brought his one bag of belongings into his new apartment. 

One bag. 

That was just sad. 

“So, senpai-” Yugao started but Kakashi shook his head at her. 

“I’m out of ANBU, no longer your senpai.” Kakashi’s voice was bored as he went over the the bed that the dormitory provided. It was a nice building, the village had gone through and torn down any of the buildings that were failing and rebuilt these much nicer places. Yugao decided to ignore him and instead went over to the window to let some fresh air in. 

“Senpai, I heard you were going to get a genin team.” Yugao turned to smile at Kakashi only to frown as she watched him lay down on his side, his back to the room as he stared at the wall. “Would you like me to leave?”

Kakashi didn’t say anything and Yugao just rolled her eyes as she took his favorite book out of her pouch, she had stolen it from him weeks ago but he hadn’t taken it back. That probably should have been her first clue that he was out of it. 

She placed the book next to his pillow and made her way to the door. She had only reached the handle when the door swung open to reveal a very big smile and a bouquet of flowers. 

“I am here to congratulate my rival on his new home!” Gai’s voice was booming and Yugao couldn’t help but smile as she glanced back to where Kakashi was laying down. She found herself shrugging and letting Gai in. 

“Have at him, I have to go back to work.” She didn’t wait to see Gai’s reaction or to hear what the man was telling Kakashi about his new home.

If anyone could get Kakashi out of his funk it as Gai. 

\---

Anko stared at the small apartment, the crowded space that seemed to leave little room for furniture, let alone people. She forced a smile to her face as she turned to Iruka who was smiling at his cramped space, sitting on top of a pile of boxes because he didn’t have room to stand. 

“It’s nice?” Anko couldn’t find a place to put the scroll she was holding so she just threw it on top of another stack of boxes. “Spacious.”

“Ha!” Iruka rubbed his nose before seeing the state of his hands and wiping them on his pants and sighing. “It’s above the bookstore and I can literally see the Academy outside of my window. It’s what I need right now.” 

“No, what you need right now is to hire some genin to unpack for you so we can go get drunk.” Anko turned only to have the door jam hit her hip. “Man, this place is so small!”

“It will be better after I unpack.” Iruka laughed at her before getting to his feet, even if it meant climbing onto some boxes. “How about I unpack, you can go run those errands that your mom was bothering you about, and then we meet tonight for some ramen?”

“How do I know you won’t flake on me again?” Anko bit out and immediately regretted it as Iruka gave her a hurt look. She laughed loudly before turning to him, “That had more bite than I intended, I know that you’ve been busy lately.”

And he had been. 

Iruka was probably the busiest person she knew. He worked full time during the week at the school, was at the mission desk every afternoon for six days of the week, and somehow had made time to pick up small missions now that his ban was lifted. Anko didn’t mean to throw how neglected she had felt in his face but it was true, she hadn’t seen him in a long time and when they did make time for each other something would always pop up. 

It was usually Mizuki. 

Anko might have been holding a grudge because of that. She wasn’t perfect, she would admit it. 

“Iruka, I’m sorry. I’m a little crabby and sleep deprived.” Anko tried again. 

“Aren’t we all.” Iruka laughed as he waved her off. “Don’t worry, we can all work to do better. Now get going and I’ll meet you outside your place after dinner.” 

“Sounds like a dream.” Anko blew him a kiss and enjoyed how Iruka rolled his eyes at her as she made her way down the stairs. 

She tried not to frown at the site of children running around the school, it really was close to his day job. Anko sighed as she turned to head back home, her mom did have some errands that she needed to do today if she didn’t want to get nagged. 

She just hoped that her and Iruka would actually get to enjoy dinner together. 

Hopefully nothing came up. 

\---

Ibiki stared at the list in front of him. 

The room was covered in blood, the fight had taken a strange turn and Ibiki did not envy the person who would find this mess. He glanced towards the door to see his backup glaring at him, and he tried not to smirk. 

Kakashi never had the patience it took for intel work. 

Or maybe it was the mess. 

Ibiki shook his head, he remembered Kakashi’s file and knew that it wasn’t the mess. 

“I heard that you are going to be a jonin-sensei now?” Ibiki tired to wipe the blood off the paper and realized he was only making it worse before he turned to Kakashi. This list was not the first one that Ibiki had seen as he left on more and more missions outside of the village but it was the first one that didn’t have any names crossed off. “What do you make of this list?”

Ibiki smiled with Kakashi didn’t enter the room and the older man made his way to the door. 

The list was what he had come here for so it was nice not have to search through the mess on the floor for it. He hadn’t been as lucky on previous missions. The older man passed the paper over the Kakashi and they started to make their way down the hall. 

Ibiki took two steps before he realized that Kakashi had stopped moving. 

The intel specialist turned to see Kakashi staring at the list with wide eyes. The bald man found himself approving at the fact that Kakashi was catching on to what the list was, and at the very least, what it could mean. 

“This is…” The jonin gave Ibiki a startled look. 

“A list of every surviving clan from Uzushio.” Ibiki nodded.

The Hokage had been suspicious for some time that the Uzushio survivors were being hunted, it had been one of the many things the Leaf had hoped to investigate in their time at Uzutoshi but had only gotten word of a list before the city had been burned down for profit. 

Ibiki walked over to pull the list from Kakashi’s hands as the jonin stared at him for more answers, and Ibiki shook his head. 

He didn’t have answers, not yet. 

But he would get them. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:  
> -Reference to intended self harm (Kakashi burning down his house with him inside)   
> -Canon Violence  
> -Raido and Genma pairing, I was going to tag them but since this is a rated E story I decided not to. I will only tag couples that I write out sex scenes for so that I don't mislead any hopeful pairing hunter in my tags. Hope this is okay! 
> 
>  
> 
> Other news!   
> So, for any of you tumblr goons out there, there is a KakaIru zine being put together! Link: https://kakairuzine.tumblr.com/
> 
> I am hoping to participate, as I've applied, but I also wanted to mention it here in case there are any artists/writers who might want to be part of this thing. The Naruto anime is coming to an end -- but a glorious end for us Iruka lovers -- and I think this zine will be a proper send off to the show. Disclaimer: I'm not running this zine, I just think it's a cool idea. 
> 
> That's it from me! I hope everyone is having a great week! Sorry again for the delay!


	13. Sunshine In A Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You don't always get the missions you want.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter! Author's note at the bottom!

\---

It’s not like it wasn’t a long time coming. 

Honestly, most of the active duty shinobi had started go the extra length to actually see how far it would all go. Afterall, it wasn’t every day that someone actually volunteered to manage the mission desk, let alone someone who was already considered a saint by the mere fact that he taught pre-genin. 

Who was to blame if they wanted to test the waters? They just wanted to see how big that halo was. There was nothing wrong with that, right? 

Iruka had been managing the mission desk for two months, which might seem like a short time for some but given his hours and how many days he had been not only assigning scrolls, but receiving reports and then submitting them for payment -- that is to say that after 437 missions, Iruka finally snapped. 

“NO!” Iruka’s fist slammed on the table as he stood to his feet, the chair behind him clattering to the ground. “This is the last straw.” 

The room was silent, the Hokage sitting next to Iruka with a surprised expression. The 3 jonin, 4 chunin, and 2 genin teams in the room all silent and still, almost as if they were the ones being yelled at. And then there was Choza…

Choza with his sheepish smile as he glanced down at the report that Iruka was yelling at him about. “Is there something wro--”

“It’s in crayon.” Iruka snipped, he rolled the scroll back up and handed it back to the older man. The vein popping in his forehead as he stared out at everyone else in the room. “If I see one more report that isn’t up to standard then there will be a good chance that they do not leave this room with all their fingers.” 

Somehow, the air actually seemed colder in the room despite the windows and the summer heat. One of the genin turned to their jonin-sensei, as if to ask a question, before there was a puff of smoke and everyone was gone. 

Iruka took a deep breath before he turned to the Hokage. “I’m making new rules. If anyone fails to meet my standards then I will make them attend a class on proper reports.” 

The Hokage brought his pipe to his lips, trying to fight the smile on his lips as he nodded. “Whatever you think is best, Iruka-sensei.” 

“Make sure you let Shikaku-san know in your next meeting.” Iruka brought his chair back upright as he growled under his breath. “As the jonin-commander, he should be aware of his subordinate’s subpar work.” 

“And why some of his jonin might be missing fingers in the future, I’m sure.” The Hokage did smile at that, Iruka’s face flushing in embarrassment as the teacher finally took his seat behind the table. Iruka looked like he was about to protest for a few moments before he straightened up and looked forward, ready for their next check-in. 

“I’m sure it won’t come to that, Hokage-sama.” Though neither Iruka or Hiruzen could quite believe those words. 

Jonin were always...a little off. 

\---

“His name is Gato.” Shikaku eyed the man that was walking down the street. The man had dull hair, was balding with a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead as he leaned against his cane with every step. “He’s a businessman, founded the Gato corporation.” 

Asuma huffed at that, his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the wall of the shabby building he was standing next to with his sensei. “Not sure I would call him a businessman, he’s the one behind the burning of many port towns a few years ago right?” 

Shikaku nodded. “He tried to get a foothold in the Land of Fire, using his company to make shop in a few of our ports before his efforts failed and he burned everything to the ground. He’s changed his name and his corporation’s name, but it’s still the same man.” 

Some kids ran across the streets and Shikaku let his eyes wander, knowing Asuma had the target in sights, before he turned to his old student. “We believe he’s going to try again here, in the Land of Waves, try to take over a smaller nation first before he comes for us again.” 

Asuma nodded. It was smart, the Land of Fire was too large, too old, and too protected. The Land of Waves not only didn’t have a hidden village but the daimyo of this land was known to be a greedy money grabber who didn’t care about his people or the many islands that were meant to be under his protection. 

“Our Daimyo wants eyes on him, believes that Gato was one of the men behind the threats of his children.” Shikaku turned and started to walk down the hall. “We also have reason to believe that Gato isn’t just after money and power, be it on the hunt for cursed objects to sale on the black market.”

“He wants to become a warlord?” Asuma was genuinely curious, they made it out of the other side of the alley only to see Gato walk by with two of his guards as the older man started talking to another local store owner who seemed unsure of what to do with such a friendly business man. 

They continued walking, making their way to where they knew Gato’s offices were. They passed by a brothel that smelled like cheap beer and smoke and Asuma silently wished he wasn’t trying to quit smoking as he smelt his favorite brand. 

“Ten-chan, you tease!” A group of high pitched laughter had both men turning their heads to see a man in a loose kimono surrounded by women in the brothel. All the windows to the establishment were open, most like to try and catch a breeze to find some relief from the humid day. The man, Ten-chan was holding a woman close as she let her hand trail down his chest and scarred stomach, he whispered something to her that the other women could hear as they continued to laugh at the pair. 

Asuma turned his attention back to Shikaku, hoping to make a joke, before he realized his sensei was already walking ahead. Asuma sped up his steps, making it past Gato’s offices and then heading to where the rest of their team was. 

“I want you and Kurenai to infiltrate his offices tonight and take everything.” Shikaku’s shoulder were tense, something that was setting Asuma on edge as the made their way further away from the city. “Don’t be seen, no casualties on this, and then we are going back to Konoha at dawn.” 

“Yes, sir.” Shikaku paused as he landed on the first branch. He turned to Asuma, letting the man know to stop as well. “We are looking for a list, you’ll know when you see it.” 

Asuma nodded, wanting to ask his old sensei more questions but holding his tongue. He and Kurenai took this mission knowing that they wouldn’t be able to learn all the facts, that something bigger was happening with this corporation, but Asuma also knew that if they didn’t find a way to stop Gato a lot of innocent people would die. 

\---

“What is this place?” Mizuki eyed the run down shack before glaring at Iruka. “Why do you always give me the boring missions?”

Iruka laughed at that, taking a deep breath as he eyed the area that they had raced to. Iruka had originally thought that a race would have been fun, something to remind them of old times, but he had to admit that he hated seeing how much faster Mizuki had gotten. “If I had any say in who was a assigned what, I wouldn’t be doing this boring mission with you.” 

Mizuki made a face that showed his doubt before he walked over to the shed. “This place looks old, why haven’t I seen it before?”

“It’s an old ANBU station, they’ve retired it and taken the seals off. We just have to make sure they didn’t leave anything behind.” Iruka stretched a bit before he walked over to the small building. “I think the village is hoping to use this as an evacuation spot in the future.” 

Mizuki shrugged past Iruka, clearly bored already and Iruka found himself smiling after his friend as they made their way inside. 

“Wow, there is actually a place smaller than your apartment.” Mizuki glanced around the shed as if in genuine surprise. 

“Yes, yes, I live in a shoebox.” Iruka threw a stick in Mizuki’s direction, only a little sad when his friend caught it. “I’m glad the ANBU gave us such detailed directions, this place would have been impossible to find without those.” 

Mizuki seemed to consider that for a moment, taking in the area before he smiled at Iruka. “Let’s clear this place out and then head back. Whoever finds the most gets to choose where we are eating lunch.” 

“You’re on!” 

\---

Kakashi stared at his hands. They scrubbed the rag harder against his sink, the lunch he had made for himself and Gai already eaten and now it was time to clean up the mess. 

So much for getting a genin team. 

“The kids attacked each other?” Gai’s voice seemed incredulous and Kakashi didn’t bother repeating himself. “What kind of test were you giving them?” 

That did force Kakashi to glare at Gai who seemed a little sheepish at his comment. 

“Did you tell the Hokage?” Gai started talking to himself and Kakashi went back to cleaning his tiny kitchen. “Of course he already knows, but what about the Academy teacher? Surely they would need to be informed of their student’s failures, that is no reflection of you and your--”

“Gai.” Kakashi silenced his rival and continued to scrub his kitchen. “Everyone who needs to know was informed, I’ll be up again for a team next year.” 

Kakashi didn’t know why it bothered him so much, that he hadn’t found a team, but he knew it was for the best. Kakashi wasn’t going to make the same mistake that the others before him had, he was going to ensure that his students were ready. 

That they understood what was really important. 

In the meantime, he could continue his training with Gai and take more missions as a jonin. He was no longer ANBU and for now that would need to be enough. Kakashi didn’t know if was too broken to heal, if maybe this was just a waiting game before he officially couldn’t be brought together but he hoped that there was still a chance for him. 

Maybe, just maybe, he could heal some of his cracks. 

\---

“To Mizuki!” Tsubaki shouted louder than the other noise in the bar which caused a wave silence before some chuckling. Tusbaki went red in the face as Mizuki pulled her against his side in their booth at the bar. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be so loud.” 

“Be loud!” Mizuki laughed as he pressed a kiss against the side of her head. “We’re celebrating!”

“It’s about time.” Iruka laughed, turning over to Izumo and Kotetsu who were smiling at the rest of the group. 

“Finally, team Tsume got a teacher!” Izumo laughed. “Now one of us needs to make jonin and we’ll officially be beating team Inoichi, right?”

“It’s not a competition.” Kotetsu laughed as he took a drink from his beer before pointing at Mizuki. “And it’s been far too long, why don’t we do things anymore?”

Iruka laughed as he watched his friends start bickering with each other, Izumo and Kotetsu demanding more of Mizuki’s time while Mizuki brushed them off with no promises. Tsubaki declared that all of Mizuki’s free time belonged to her, that he had to help her work on their house before the school year started. 

It was good. 

“Do you know which class you’ll be teaching?” Iruka pulled Mizuki away from Tsubaki and Kotetsu’s argument over who had the best hangover cure. His friend shook his head at the rest of the table before smiling at Iruka. 

“I’ll be helping Daikoku with his class, since he’s transitioning to principal and then next year I’ll be leading the new pre-genin class.” Mizuki shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal and Iruka knew that his friend was excited. “Finally have my own group of snot-nosed brats, right?”

“Not to mention all the paperwork you have to fill out now.” Izumo sighed as he leaned into Iruka. “All the check-ins with the Hokage, you’re about to have a very busy schedule. Not sure how Iruka does it, but you guys can have all that work. Me and Kotetsu will stick to gate duty.” 

Iruka let the noise of the bar wash over the group as he eyed all the patrons, not wanting to bring up his workload again. He wasn’t sure but it seemed like a bit of a sore spot when it came to Mizuki, the fact that Iruka was wearing so many hats in the village, but Iruka figured that Mizuki would figure it all out once he had his own class. 

The chunin paused as he realized Konohamaru was going to be in the next class. 

Mizuki was definitely going to have his hands full. 

“Why are you smiling like that, Iruka?” Tsubaki gave Iruka a suspicious glare. The rest of the table turning to him. 

Iruka didn’t say anything, just lifted up his drink and took a sip. 

\---

Tenzo stared at the land in front of him before turning back to his senpai in confusion. “I don’t understand.” 

“Ma, Tenzo, this is the last time I’m saying it.” Kakashi sighed, his shoulders slouched as he waved his arm across the acres of land in front of them before pointing at Tenzo. “This is what is left of the Hatake estate, and now, it’s yours.” 

“But--” Tenzo stared at the land, everything had been flattened after the fire so now it was just a lot with wild grass. The wooden walls Tenzo had built for Kakashi being the only that that helped define how much land it was. “I don’t--” 

“I’ve already signed it over to you. You are free to do with it what you wish.” Kakashi rubbed the back of his head before turning to Tenzo and giving the younger man a shrug. “I don’t need it anymore.” 

“But it’s your family’s land.” Tenzo tried again, looking torn between tears and confusion. 

“And now, it will be your family’s.” Kakashi shrugged. He pulled a scroll out of his pocket and handed it over to the young ANBU. “It’s yours. If you don’t want it then feel free to get rid of it, or sell it.” 

“Senpai…” Tenzo held the scroll in his hand before looking at Kakashi again. “Are you sure?”

“I’m moving on.” Kakashi kept his tone bored as he glanced over the land. He wasn’t going to repeat himself, but he could give Tenzo some idea of what happening. 

Kakashi wanted to heal. 

And he knew he wouldn’t be able to while he was still holding on to the past. He didn’t know if actually getting rid of the land would help anything, but he did feel like it was a step in the right direction. He had his apartment, that’s all he needed right now. 

“Oh.” Kakashi turned back to Tenzo. “Could you water my plant while I’m gone?” 

“Wha--of course?” Tenzo still looked confused. “Where are you going?” 

“The Honorable grandson and his tutor are going on a training trip for a few weeks outside of the village. I’m going to guard them. Shouldn’t be more than a few weeks.” Kakashi didn’t have to force his voice to sound bored at that, knew that the Hokage was trying to do. The old man probably hoped that if Kakashi saw Ebisu and Konohamaru, saw a student and teacher relationship in action, that maybe it would bring some light to Kakashi. 

Maybe their camaraderie would soften Kakashi up. 

Tenzo smiled, not looking at Kakashi as he stared at the scroll in his hand before looking at the land. “Senpai…” 

“Hn.” Kakashi turned so that he could start heading back to the road. 

“Thank you.”

\---

“Get back here!” Iruka shouted as he chased after his students in the hall. 

“Run!” Kiba’s voice cracked as he tried to shout at his friends, Akamaru clinging to the top his head at the kid slid in the hallway. “Split up!” 

“Choji, this way!” Shikamaru’s small hand grabbed his friend’s as they twisted down the hall and ran the other way. Choji making a high pitched noise as he ducked under Iruka’s arm. 

“Bye, suckers!” Naruto laughed as he jumped out of the window and Iruka found himself growling as he went to the window to see the kids meeting up at the entrance of the school yard. 

“If you don’t get back here then I’m failing all of you!” Iruka was torn between chasing after the kids and letting them go. He had only started this study session for them so that they could catch up to the rest of the class. 

“Nyeh!” Naruto stuck out his tongue as he flipped Iruka off and Iruka suddenly felt a vein pop in his head. 

He was too young to die of a stroke. 

Or at least, that is what he kept telling himself. 

“They certainly like to keep you on your toes, don’t they?” Iruka turned from where he was going to chase after his wayward students to see Inoichi smiling at him. “Do you have a minute?” 

“Sorry, Inoichi-sensei, but I have to go get those kids.” Iruka sighed before he heard a yelp and then saw the kids running back to the school. Iruka felt his mouth gape open as Hayate followed his students, sword drawn, looking as if he would make the kids pay if they didn’t make it back to the classroom. 

“Hayate?” Iruka laughed as his friend waved up at him, it had been a long time since they had seen each other and he hadn’t realized how much he had missed his old teammate. “What are you doing here?” 

“I’ll get these kids back to their seats, you talk with Inoichi-sensei.” Hayate smiled before giving their teacher a nod as he made his way through the hall and into the class where Iruka’s students were now sitting frozen. Iruka wanted to protest, he needed to finish the lesson, but Inoichi was already dragging him down the hall to get a semblance of privacy. 

“I heard you are back on active duty.” Inoichi smiled down at Iruka and the chunin already felt a trap being set up. 

“I am…” 

“And the school year is over, you are only doing tutoring for these hellions, correct?” Inoichi smirked as he glanced back at the classroom, it was only because Iruka new Inoichi so well that he knew the man was proud that his daughter didn’t end up in Iruka’s summer class like Shikamaru and Choji. 

“I’m taking missions, but nothing too far from the village. Between teaching, the mission desk, and assisting the Hokage, I don’t have much time--” 

“I forgot that you helped out the Hokage…” Inoichi rubbed his chin before he shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, I have a mission that I need you and Hayate on. It will take three weeks so you better be ready.” 

“What?” Iruka was already shaking his head but his teacher waved him off. 

“You have two days to pack!” Inoichi was already walking back to the classroom, Iruka hot on his heels as the chunin tried to get a word in but the older man just laughed it all off as he signaled to Hayate that it was time to go. 

“I really can’t.” Iruka tried again, not caring that his students were watching now. 

“Too late.” Hayate shrugged as he threw Iruka a scroll. “See you in two days.” 

Iruka watched his friend and sensei disappear from the classroom before he turned to his students. They all eyed him with confusion before Iruka glanced at the scroll in his hand. 

It was days like these that made him wish he wasn’t a ninja, the life of an onsen owner seemed so much nicer. 

\---

“Kakashi-san, do you mind?” Ebisu had his hands on his hips as he stared up at the tree where Kakashi was currently reading his book. 

Kakashi glanced down to see what the other man wanted and saw that Ebisu had finished preparing dinner. The jonin couldn’t help but smile under his mask as he jumped down from the tree and made his way down to join the pair by the fire. 

This mission...had been nice. 

The jonin didn’t know of any other way to describe it. They had already traveled around the land of Fire, and Kakashi got to enjoy the site of Ebisu teaching a kid who wasn’t even in the Academy yet the proper use of chakra control. The kid couldn’t even walk on water but then again, the kid seemed to catch on quickly so Kakashi knew it was only a matter of time before Konohamaru came into his own right. 

Then there was Ebisu, a man that Kakashi had never really encountered in the village. He had heard of him, sure, a private tutor for the elite clans of the village. A man with more pride than skill, depending on who was talking, but now that Kakashi had seen the man in action he knew that Ebisu had the knowledge and skill to back up what he preached. 

Maybe the Hokage hadn’t been crazy to send Kakashi on this mission. 

“When I enter the Academy, does that mean I’ll be able to take missions?” Konohamaru spoke with his mouth full, but neither man cared as they from their own plates. Kakashi enjoyed ensuring that the kid never saw his face, even when he took his time it seemed like the kid always missed seeing his face by a second. 

“Only when you become a fully fledged ninja, a genin.” Ebisu corrected Konohamaru’s line of thought. “But you have to graduate the Academy first, which shouldn’t take you long after my tutelage.” 

Both Kakashi and Konohamaru rolled their eyes when Ebisu laughed in false modesty before suddenly Kakashi had the kid staring him down. He blinked slowly, making sure to meet the gaze back equally. 

“Did you go on cool missions as a genin?” Konohamaru’s eyes were wide, his nose slightly upturned because of his youth, and Kakashi actually found himself wondering what his old ANBU counterparts would think of their son. 

He imagined they would be proud. 

“Maa…” Kakashi shrugged, “I wasn’t a genin for long. Less than a year and I was already at chunin.”

Konohamaru turned to Ebisu to make sure Kakashi was telling the truth and when Ebisu nodded the kid seemed awed. “I want to do that!” 

“Well…” Ebisu laughed, rubbing his nose before he turned to Konohamaru. “Don’t be too hasty. You might think that you’ll have cooler missions the higher ranked you get but there are plenty of missions and lessons you’ll be able to learn as a genin.” 

“Really? Like what?” The kid smiled, his food now forgotten as he made himself comfortable, clearly expecting both the adults to entertain him. 

He was a bit spoiled. 

Hiruma would have been okay with that. 

“Weeding, cleaning gutters.” Kakashi shrugged. “Walking dogs.” 

“And more!” Ebisu cut of Konohamaru before the boy could protest. “Why, I know a genin that got sent on a dangerous undercover mission for three years. The village could send you on all sorts of missions.” 

“Undercover?” The kid whispered to himself and Kakashi could see Konohamaru’s imagine running away with him as the kid stared into the fire. Kakashi turned his attention to Ebisu, wondering what mission Ebisu was referring to. 

That did not sound like standard genin assignment. 

Ebisu, seeming to sense Kakashi’s curiosity, smiled as he pushed his glasses up on his nose and smiled at the pair. “Why yes, I was one of his point people. He served as an informant at a small village in the land of fire, near the border.” 

Whatever story Ebisu was going to go into ended shortly with a howl in the distance. Kakashi sighed as he got to his feet and did a few stretches. He waved at Ebisu, to let the man know that they didn’t need to move camp, he could investigate on his own. 

It was time for work. 

\---

Asuma was beginning to like these missions that Shikaku kept sending him on. At first, it had seemed a bit of bother since he was running around all of these port towns but as he watched the Gato Corporation ship slowly sink into the ocean, it’s illegal cargo sinking with it, he couldn’t help but enjoy the view. 

There was a small spark of chakra, the only warning he got before his current partner landed next to him on the beach. “Like the sunset?”

“The sun set hours ago.” Asuma laughed as he lit up a cigarette and enjoyed as a part of the ship exploded from the heat. “Just enjoying a job well done.” 

“Well, I don’t want to ruin the mood but we have a problem.” Genma made himself comfortable in the grass next to Asuma and handed the other man a folded piece of paper. “You told me to keep an eye out for lists in the office, I’m guessing this is what you meant.” 

Asuma swore as he saw the same list of names as last time, the only difference in this one is that some of the names were crossed off. 

“Do you want to tell me why there is a list of clan names in a drug lord's headquarters?” Genma let the senbon move from one side of his mouth to the other. “Or better yet, why do I know some of those names as families of Konoha.” 

“Above our pay grade.” Asuma huffed before read the list again, his eyes constantly landing on the two names that stood out the most. 

“Don’t give me that.” Genma sighed as he laid back, looking as if he was enjoying a day at the beach like a normal person. “I didn’t crawl through two miles of pipeline so that I could get that excuse, tell me what you know.” 

Asuma was quiet for a moment, wondering if he put too much accelerant for the fire as he could feel the heat from the sinking ship. There were two loud pops and suddenly the ship was singing faster, the fire sizzling out as the water swallowed everything whole. It was only later, once the the only noise on the beach was the waves as they lapped at the sand before Asuma turned to Genma. 

“You ever hear of Uzushio?” Asuma was genuinely curious about this. 

“That place that was destroyed before our time?” Genma shrugged. “I know that the wife of the Shodaime...she was from their right?”

Asuma must have looked impressed because Genma was glaring at him. “Christ, Asuma, Mito was still alive when I was born. And then there was Kushina, yes, I know about Uzushio.” 

“Uzumaki.” Asuma pointed to the name on the list. “They were one of the founding clans that made up Uzushio, all of these names are clans that I believe were able to survive past their villages demise.” 

“You believe?” Genma glanced at the list before he pointed at a name slightly above where Asuma was pointing. “I only know one Umino, and I have no idea why he would be on this list.” 

Asuma had to agree, he could think of many reasons why Ikkaku and Kohari would end up on this list but he could not think of why Iruka would be on here. “I don’t think it has to do with specific people, but more about what the families could have taken with them from Uzushio.” 

Genma looked confused as he stared at the list before he shook his head. “Your right, above my pay grade.” 

Asuma just shrugged as he turned his attention back to the water. They would wait to see who Gato sent as first responders to find the ship and then they would be on their way. 

Asuma had a feeling that Shikaku was not going to be happy with his updated version of the list. 

\---

Iruka glanced at the mess around him before turning to the kid he had given a surprise visit. Naruto was clearly embarrassed, the kid running around his apartment and trying to hide the mess that the place was as Iruka came in with several books in his arms. 

“I didn’t know you were coming!” Naruto rolled up all the trash on his floor with a carpet and then kicked it to the side of the room before he shoved past Iruka to get to the kitchen, most likely to throw away all the instant food that Iruka had spotted as he had made his way inside. “I know it’s a bit messy, Iruka-sensei, but--” 

“It’s fine.” Iruka laughed as he went over to the kid’s desk to see it filled with books that had writing all over them. The teacher felt his heart ache, clearly Naruto was trying, even if he didn’t quite understand the things they were reading. “I just thought I would get you these books before my mission, so that you can at least pretend to read them while I’m gone.” 

Naruto laughed at that, taking the books from Iruka’s hands and placing them on his bed. The kid smiled slightly, something private and for himself, before he turned to Iruka with wide eyes. “But you’ll treat me to ramen right?” 

“Ha!” Iruka pulled on his own ponytail before he nodded, lifting his hand and making a eating motion as he smiled at Naruto. “I promised you ramen if you finished the assignment, and you definitely finished.” 

Naruto pouted at that. “You still failed me.” 

“I didn’t say you got the assignment right.” Iruka huffed as they made their way to the door. Iruka finding himself uncomfortable the longer he stayed in the kid’s apartment. 

The walk to Ichiraku was uncomfortable, both of them trying to find something to talk about but not knowing what to say. Several times Naruto would shout something, or have a loud reaction, that would cause the villagers passing by to glare at the blonde and Iruka would find himself hurrying the now frowning kid down the street. 

It wasn’t until they were in the safety of the Ichiraku that Iruka felt like he could breathe. 

Ramen. He could do ramen. 

Ramen was never awkward. 

“So...you leave tomorrow?” Naruto wasn’t looking at Iruka when he asked but the chunin knew that question was for him. 

“Yes, I leave in the morning. Should only be gone for a few weeks, you won’t even notice that I’m gone since schools out.” Iruka laughed, glancing at Teuchi who was giving him a thumbs up. The chunin blushed slightly at the attention before turning to Naruto. “Hey...Naruto…” 

It took a few second before the blonde turned to his sensei, Naruto was clearly suspicious of whatever Iruka was about to say. 

“I know that you’re busy, with the summer break, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor.” Iruka rubbed his scar, sitting up a bit, before his chest started to feel tight and he forced the rest of the conversation out of his mouth. “I’ll pay you of course, for your work, but I was wondering if you would pick up my mail for me while I’m gone.” 

The boy blinked slowly, staring at Iruka like he was an alien. 

Iruka tried to keep his smile soft but felt his lips stretch on his face to the point where he probably looked a little manic. “It would be really easy, I’ll give you the key to my mailbox. I just just need you to pick up the letters put them in my apartment while I’m gone. If you don’t want to go in my apartment, you can always leave them on my desk at the school. Whichever is easier.” 

“You...want to pay me?” Naruto sounded like Iruka was insane and the chunin was thinking that maybe he was. It had just been an idea that popped in his head, he knew how tight funds could get when you were an orphan living off the village’s allowance, and Iruka knew that if anyone could use a little extra money then it was Naruto. The blonde continued to stare at Iruka before he continued. “...to get your mail?” 

Iruka nodded, waving his hand like it was no big deal. “I just moved near the school but my building doesn’t have a mailbox so I have to pick it up from the post office. A lot of my friends are on mission and they mail me letters to pass around for them so I don’t want something to get lost because my mail built up too much.” 

Naruto was frowning, not quite believing what he was hearing. Iruka opened his mouth to continue talking but was saved by two bowls of ramen from an amused Teuchi. 

“Consider it your ramen fund, Naruto-kun.” Ayame laughed from where she was cooking broth. She gave the blond a thumbs up. 

Naruto considered that for a second before the blond smiled brightly at Iruka with a nod. “I can do that! Just tell me what to do and I got you covered, Iruka-sensei.” 

Iruka laughed, glad that he was able to make it work, especially since he had already informed the post office to keep an eye out for the blonde. Iruka and Naruto both rubbed the back of their heads for a second before they turned their attention to the ramen. 

The ramen was good. 

It always made any awkward situation a million times better. 

Iruka loved ramen. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I decided to post a short chapter in order to make sure that I posted a chapter this weekend. It's half of what a usual chapter is for me, but I figured that getting updates more consistently is more important that having super long chapters, haha. Let me know if you would rather wait and have the longer chapters. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, it's a bit more of set up but next chapter will be a "fun" one.
> 
> Thank you for your comments and kudos!


	14. Breathing Is Just a Rhythm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission is success, but at what cost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings at the bottom!
> 
> This week has been crazy, hope that everyone is doing well.

\---

Mission Report, log: 65.3487A  
Assignment: Acquisition  
Team: Inoichi Yamanaka; captain, Hayate Gekkou, Iruka Umino 

Status: Failure

Team Inoichi is incapacitated in Konoha Hospital, this report is being written by Asuma Sarutobi. My team, returning from a different mission (see log: 42.7701F), were traveling through the land of crabs after noticing strange seismic activity. It was when we were saw a flare to signal for back up that we realized not only was another team from Konoha was nearby but that something was off. As known by all active shinobi of Konoha, a flare is no long standard practice in due to giving off your exact location. But in this instance, it it most likely going to be what saves team Inoichi, should they survive their surgeries. 

My team (Kotetsu Hagane, Izumo Kamizuki, Hoso Itokuro) came upon the scene to find the town destroyed. At this time, I am unsure of the cause and do not know what happened to the civilians in the town. I have put in a request for a full investigation and hope that the next team that is sent will find more answers. (See request form: BNU23.057) Team Inoichi was alreacy incapacitated when we arrived to their location, but we found an ally was the one who send the flair. It was Jiraiya who had sent it and it was Jiraiya who was with Team Inoichi performing emergency healing on Iruka who unresponsive. 

They were located at the south docks of the village, a few blocks from the headquarters of the Gato corporation. Team Inoichi and Jiraiya were surrounded by 87 men that were heavily armed for battle. All 87 men were dead and from information I was able to gather from Jiraiya, he had watched them all fall in an instant. Should a member of team Inoichi survive, they should hold more information about what happened. 

My team proceeded to help Jiraiya heal the injured. We were able to get Hayate conscious for a few moments before his conditioned worsened. Using a special jutsu, Hoso was able to seal all three shinobi of team Inoichi in a stasis allowing us to transport them back to Konoha. 

Report finished. 

Asuma Sarutobi  
Jonin; 010829

\---

-16 Hours Earlier- 

Iruka did not like this town. 

The chunin pulled his hair back in a ponytail, the hot air causing his hair to stick to the back of his neck. It was uncomfortable, and while Iruka was glad that he didn’t have to wear his fatigues, he also wished he had more weapons on hand. 

There was something wrong with this town. 

The land of Crabs was small, nothing compared to the Fire nation and yet Iruka almost felt like he was in a completely different world. The first few days had been interesting, getting to a know a place that wasn’t friendly and did not want strangers around. Inoichi and Hayate seemed to be fitting in much better, or at least didn’t mind the treatment, but Iruka found himself missing his students. 

“Oh, Ten-chan!” Iruka sighed as he heard a group of women laughing from down the street. There was a brothel close by, Iruka had been planning on checking it out today in case he could learn something but found himself blocked by a large group of thugs. 

Iruka didn’t know what the Gato Corporation was, or why it needed so many employees like these, but he was making sure to take pictures of every hired muscle’s face. Iruka was sure that the Leaf was already looking into Gato, this had nothing to do with his current mission, but he hoped to find something useful for whoever might need it down the road.

“I found the warehouse.” Hayate saddled up next to Iruka, both of the men eyeing some of the wares in the stall that Iruka had found himself in. “Hope you have enough space in your scrolls, sensei, I think there is a lot more than planned.” 

Iruka huffed at that, running his hand over some silk as he eyes the kimono. It was nice but it was definitely over priced. “I have everything I need, Hayate.” 

The mission was relatively simple and Iruka was glad for that. Apparently, there was a collection of cursed item in this town that was about to go on the market. Iruka wasn’t sure what the Gato Corporation was hoping to do with those items, or how they had managed to get their hands on so many, but he did know that these men didn’t understand what they was messing with. It was why team Inoichi was here, to take those items back. Most likely the items would be returned to the original owners, if there was a report out there to trace, or the items would be sealed away by the Hokage to ensure they didn’t end up in the wrong hands. 

Iruka could see why Inoichi had wanted him on this mission, Iruka would be able to seal the items quickly and safely but also because Iruka was a bit of a nerd when it came to older objects like this. He had honestly just started researching cursed objects in hopes to find out more about the white chest in his closet but he found himself engrossed in the history and eventually became something like a mini-expert. Or a nerd, if Mizuki was to be believed. Now he was on a mission where he would hopefully run into a few of the objects he had read about before he had to pass it off to the experts. 

“You look excited.” Hayate laughed as he hip-checked Iruka, causing the chunin to stumble a bit with a flush. “We still have a few days before we have to move, let’s enjoy the break.” 

“Enjoy the break?” Iruka glanced around the street. The atmosphere was heavy in this town and definitely not a place he would want to spend any extra time in. 

“Ten-chan, will you buy this for me?” The girls from the brothel were out on the street now, Iruka found himself smiling at them as they passed. A few smiled and waved, most likely hoping to have a new customer before they started pointing at nice objects in the stall. “What about this, Ten-chan?” 

“Ten-chan is a lucky fellow.” Hayate coughed against his hand while Iruka laughed. The chunin turned his head to get a glance at who the popular patron of the brothel was only to stop cold as he stared at a familiar face. A face he hadn’t seen since his genin days. 

Ten-chan. 

He was older...he was older because he hadn’t died in the fire. 

**_“You should let me have you.” Tenyo breath against Iruka’s face before he buried his face into Iruka’s neck. The teen noted the scent of alcohol but when he reached up to push the man off him, suddenly Iruka’s right hand was against the ground and the genin found himself staring into an expression he had never seen on Tenyo’s face before._ **

Iruka stared, taking in the sight of a man he hadn’t thought of in seven years. Tenyo’s hair was longer, his clothes seemed nicer but it might have been the kimono he was wearing. Iruka briefly realized that Tenyo must be nearing his 40s now, but any other thought flew out of his head as Tenyo turned towards the stall Iruka was in and the chunin saw the scar across the man’s stomach. 

If Iruka really concentrated, he knew that he would be able to remember the weight of the dagger in his hand. 

_**“Are you going to poke me with that?” Tenyo laughed at the dagger like it was a butter knife and Iruka found himself smiling up at the older man as if they were sharing a joke.**_

****

****

**_“Yes.” Iruka felt the smile drop from his face as he stabbed Tenyo on the side._**

“Iruka, are you okay?” Hayate pulled Iruka over, clearly reading that something was wrong but not sure how he was supposed to react to it. 

Iruka didn’t have a chance to say anything because suddenly Tenyo was looking straight at him. The older man seemed just as surprised at the sight of Iruka as Iruka was at him, there was only a second, a brief moment that felt like an eternity and suddenly Iruka was being pulled away. Hayate had Iruka out of the stall and around the corner in a second before he transported both of them to the room they had been staying in. 

“What’s wrong?” Inoichi was on his feet, clearly not getting the sleep he was supposed to for his night shift. 

“I don’t know--” Hayate started but was interrupted as Iruka finally gasped for air. 

Breathe. 

Iruka had forgotten how to breathe. 

The chunin took a long inhale before letting it out slowly. He took another breath, as if he was trying to remind his lungs how to function as he stared at the two men in front of him. Iruka didn’t waste anymore time. “We’ve been made.” 

“How bad?” Inoichi barked before Hayate could ask any questions. 

Iruka shook his head for a second before he stared at his team. “I’m not sure, but we need to move tonight. We can’t wait for the end of the week.”

“Who was that guy?” Hayate growled before coughing, the other member of team Inoichi glaring at the room before he went over to get some water. 

Iruka wanted to sit down, and he wanted to run. 

Ten-chan...Tenyo…

Tenyo was alive. 

“His name is Tenyo, I know him from Uzutoshi.” Iruka glanced at Inoichi, he wasn’t sure how much of his mission reports his sensei had read over the years and Iruka had never brought it up. Iruka hadn’t wanted to ever talk about it again, if he could helped it. 

Hayate swore under his breath before he made it back to Iruka’s side and grabbed Iruka’s arm, forcing the chunin to look at him. “Are you--” 

“I’m fine.” Iruka took another breath, annoyed and grateful that Hayate had asked. He went over to his bag and started to pull out his scrolls. “I’m going to get everything ready, I’m not sure if he remembered who I was but--” 

“Iruka, you saw his face.” Hayate sighed. “He remembered you.” 

“People tend to not forget who stabbed them.” Inoichi added, his voice softer than Hayate’s as he gave Iruka a look. The chunin closed his eyes as he took a breath, well, now he knew that Inoichi had read Iruka’s reports. 

_**“YOU--FUCK!” Tenyo bowled over and Iruka used the moment to roll out from underneath the larger man, making sure to take the dagger out at the same time as he backed up towards the door. Iruka kept his eyes on Tenyo the whole time as the man shouted profanities as he held his wound. “I’ll kill you!”** _

Iruka paused as he stared at the scrolls on the ground. 

“Shit.” Hayate seemed torn between going over to Iruka or grabbing his swords. Iruka helped him make the decision by unraveling his scroll so that it took up the space around him as the chunin started going over the seal. 

This mission was going to need a lot of concentration, and a lot of chakra. 

There was a heavy pause in their small room before Inoichi shook his head. “I want to be ready to infiltrate in two hours.” 

Iruka couldn’t do anything else but nod. 

He would deal this this later, he had a mission to complete first. 

\---

Mission Report, log: 65.3487B  
Assignment: Acquisition  
Team: Inoichi Yamanaka; captain, Hayate Gekkou, Iruka Umino 

Status: FUBAR

I have been asked to fill out a report on my findings for the failed Team Inoichi assignment. I am unsure about what level the mission had been, though I imagine that it was a C or possibly B-rank mission. From what I was able to get from the contents that we found on Team Inoichi, they were to find and retrieve items. I could not check the content of the scrolls but I believe that they did fulfill that part of their mission. 

Team Asuma was on a separate mission nearby, see Captain Asuma’s log for reference, when we saw a flare in the sky. It was an outdated SOS but we decided as a group to investigate since we knew that other teams had been sent out in the area. What we found was insane impossible hard to describe. 

One of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, was surrounded by dead bodies as he tried to save Team Inoichi. I am unsure of Team Inoichi’s current status, as I was pulled from the waiting room to write this report, but I am hopeful for their recovery even though they are in critical condition. 

This is what I know, and what I can guess based off my observations:

-The village was destroyed by a massive group fleeing. It was clear that many ships had packed up and left quickly from the docks. Judging by the mess they left behind, they only had time to grab the bare minimum before they were forced to raise anchors. Whatever group was responsible for this exodus also had a clean-up strategy of burning down the village. This was clear by the fact that half of the village had already burned down by the time we made it there. 

We were able to slow down the destruction but was unable to stop it. Also, unsure of what happened to the civilians. 

-Team Inoichi had been ambushed. Judging by the wounds found on all three, they had been overpowered by the sheer number of their attackers. At the location we found them in, they were surrounded by 87 armed men, it is my reason to believe that this was only the last of the number that stayed behind to take out team Inoichi before they made their own escape. 

Unclear about how many enemies team Inoichi engaged before the final battle. 

-Inoichi had been physically impaled by several items. I believe to be swords but will need to verify with him and the doctor. Inoichi was the least damaged of his team, but his wounds are the easiest to explain. That said, he never regained consciousness, even when he should have. 

-Hayate was not only poisoned but we had a hard time keeping his heart beating. Hayate sustained extensive damage to ribs and lungs, though some damage might have been pre-existing. His right forearm was shattered, and his left broke in two places. He regained consciousness just to swear at us before going back under. 

-Iruka’s injuries not only are the most extensive but I am unsure about how these injuries happened. Iruka’s chakra network is fried, he has wounds in his abdomen, lungs, and throat that have all lead to internal bleeding. His throat is so damaged we fear that he may never talk again, his vocal cords almost melted. It is like something exploded inside of him that tried to liquify his insides. 

After helping Jiraiya stabilize all three men, Hoso was able to put their bodies in a statis where they would remain unchanged until we got them to the hospital. There is a great risk that we have caused more damage than good but I believe it was the right call. 

Report finished. 

Kotetsu Hagane  
Chunin; 012050

\---

Hayate had been the first to fall. 

“You’re poisoned.” Iruka hissed as he tried to pull Hayate to safety. “I need to get you--” 

“I got him.” Inoichi started to shove Iruka away. “You need to get those items. We lost the element of surprise but we still have a job to do.” 

“Y-yes.” Iruka shoved the guilt down, he didn’t have time to overthink this. He had a job to do and he was going to do it. He reached into his pockets and pulled out the flare gun before handing it to Inoichi. “Use this as a signal for when you guys are safe.” 

“Safe?” Inoichi glanced at the flare gun and back at Iruka. “This is a bit--”

“Don’t shoot it up, I don’t want it to be a signal for other teams. Shoot it where I will see it, when you and Hayata are safe I’ll set off the explosives for the warehouse.” Iruka waited for his teacher to give him a nod before he took off. 

Iruka would trust his team, they would make it to safety and Iruka would complete his part of the mission. He wouldn’t have time to go through each of the items as he had planned but he would get everything he could. 

He could do this. 

He had to. 

“They went this way!” A group ran past Iruka just as the chunin ducked behind a wall just as the ground shook beneath his feet. Iruka took a second to see what was happening before he spotted a faint glow outside of the window of the warehouse. 

Fire. 

They were burning the town down, just like Uzutoshi. 

Had Tenyo worked with the men then? Had Tenyo been behind the fire that murdered a whole town in it’s sleep all those years ago? 

“Hurry, we have to get on the ships now!” 

Iruka shook his head. It wasn’t the time for this, he had to finish the mission first and then rejoin his team. They would figure it out later, hopefully over lots of alcohol and in a much safer environment. Iruka focused his chakra to his feet so that he could run up the wall as men kept running around, he was lucky that the place was so dark, it was easier for him to blend in the shadows as he made his way to the ceiling and then took off running. 

It wasn’t much further, he could do this. 

There was a loud bang and the building started to shake. There was scream and that was the only warning Iruka got before the building started to crumble around him. He managed to roll with the fall, sliding his way into the next room before big chunks of ceiling blocked the way he had come. 

That was fine. 

He would find another exit, but first thing was first. 

Iruka could see men running at the other end of the room, grabbing items and then taking them out and most likely putting them on a ship. The chunin did have much time and he didn’t bother staying hidden as he unrolled his scroll and sent his chakra through it. 

There was a lot, a lot more than he had been prepared for but he was going to make it work. 

Iruka grit his teeth as each item swirled into the scroll, and endless line creating an itemized list on the scroll that only Iruka would be able to read. The chunin could hear yelling around him but he didn’t pay any attention to it as he pushed more chakra into the scroll and let the sweat drip down his face. 

At the very least he would seal these items so that no one could use them, once they were in the scroll then no one else would be able to get them out except for Iruka. 

It is what his team had agreed upon when he had put the plan together. 

There was a flash of light and Iruka only had a second to breath, the last item rolling into the scroll before he ducked forward to avoid being brained by a pipe. The chunin took the scroll with him, rolling it together as he put distance between him and the angry thugs that were mad about what he had taken. 

“Would love to stay and chat but--” Iruka started but he didn’t have a chance to finish before something hard connected with the side of his head. The chunin managed to blink a few times before he heard more shouting. 

He managed to avoid the next blow but Iruka couldn’t win against his double vision as he tried to avoid every hit but still a few made contact. 

He needed to get out. 

He needed space. 

He needed--

There was a loud explosion and Iruka fell to the ground, the men around him falling just as hard as the explosion continued. 

No. 

That wasn’t right. 

Iruka forced himself to his feet and took off running. 

Something had set off his explosions, that wasn’t supposed to happen. Iruka slid out of the warehouse and only managed to dodge a sword that had been going for his throat before he kicked the attacker away. The chunin watching as his explosions continued their chain reaction through the docks. 

He had to get out before--

The ground beneath Iruka’s feet exploded sending the chunin in the air with only debri and pain to follow him.

\---

Mission Report, log: 65.3487C  
Assignment: Acquisition  
Team: Inoichi Yamanaka; captain, Hayate Gekkou, Iruka Umino 

Status: Not Available 

It has been seven hours since Team Inoichi has been emitted into the hospital and while surgery is under way, it looks like Hayate-san will be making a full recovery. I have been asked to fill out my report for my findings of what has happened to team Inoichi on their retrieval mission. 

Here is my report: 

2100: I notice seismic activity near our location. Due to the time of year and location, I am aware that any activity would be unnatural and man-made and reported to Captain Asuma. We both decide to keep an eye out and investigate if it continues. 

2125: Seismic activity has gotten worse and we decided to take a detour to check it out. 

2127: Seismic activity stops. I report it to Captain Asuma and we pick up our pace to investigate what is happening. 

2141: Izumo spots the flare in the sky and reports it to Captain Asuma. After some thought, it is decided to investigate further, but we will stay together as a team. Asuma takes front position in case of ambush while I hold the rear. 

2147: We come across Jiraiya-sama and Team Inoichi. Team Inoichi is in a dire state and I will include an itemized list of their injuries to this report. See page 4. 

2213: Inoichi is stabilized. 

2245: Hayate wakes briefly, but unconscious shortly after that. We are able to stabilize him at the time. 

2312: Iruka is stabilized and I use Shin to Shita no Jutsu and freeze all three shinobi in their stabilized states. After we are sure they will survive the journey, Jiraiya-sama uses reverse summoning to get us back to Konoha immediately. 

2320: Team Inoichi is checked into the Hospital while Team Asuma is relocated to the waiting room. Jiraiya-sama is summoned by ANBU. 

This is my full account of what happened. Due to the open ended nature of this mission, since the team is not available to do a proper report I would like to bring in some observations and opinions on my part. 

First, the bodies that surrounded that team when we found them. There were 87 and they were all clearly armed and ready for combat, no civilians mixed in. Upon review of the bodies, it is my belief that they all died instantly and at the same time, but not of a physical wound. This will be investigated but it appears all their bodies failed at the same time, despite the good health of most of the enemy. 

Second, Iruka-san’s injuries were just as unnatural. I believe that the same jutsu that killed the 87 men is the same jutsu that put Iruka in the state that he is in. Judging by Iruka’s state, I also believe that he was the caster of the jutsu. 

Third, while we did not see any civilians, I believe that they were either killed during the explosions that set off the seismic activity or were taken on the ships that evacuated. This will be answered with an investigation, but judging but the ruthlessness of the injuries on Team Inoichi, I believe the civilians will be found in the ashes of their town. 

Final, I believe the Gato Corporation is behind this. 

Report finished. 

Hoso Itokuro  
Chunin; 011734

\---

“Iruka!” 

Iruka’s eyes snapped opened, his body rolling on the ground as he took in the site of both his teammates before he slammed his hand on the ground to form a barrier around his team. There was some yelling in the distance but Iruka didn’t care as he ran to his team’s side. 

He wasn’t sure how they had gotten back together but judging by the state of Inoichi and the ropes, the thugs must have thrown their bodies together when all three were unconscious. 

A decision they would be regretting now that Iruka’s barrier kept his team safe from more injury. 

“Iruka…” Inoichi tried again, blood dripping from his mouth as he struggled against the bonds holding him. “Leave me, check Hayate.” 

“Of course.” Iruka turned Hayate over and found himself checking his friend’s next for any sign of life. He let out a small breath as he whispered. “There’s a pulse, it’s faint but--” 

“Put this down!” There was a large man screaming as he hit the barrier and Iruka flinched at the sound. The chunin not bothering to turn around to see the situation they were in as the tried to pull his chakra together to heal some of Hayate’s wounds. 

“Stop.” Inoichi groaned. “You don’t have the chakra, not so soon after that sealing.” 

“I can still try.” Iruka grit his teeth, his body feeling like it was on fire before he had to let it go. He swore under his breath, his hands shaking as his body caught up to the pain it was in. He had some chakra but he his control was shot, he would end up doing more damage to Hayate if he tried to heal him. “Inoichi-sensei--” 

There was more screaming, thudding against the barrier and Iruka finally turned to see who was causing the noise and wished he hadn’t. There had to be almost a hundred people out there, surrounding Iruka’s weakening barrier, their weapons ready as they glared at the shinobi inside. One man caught Iruka’s eyes and smiled. “Don’t worry, we won’t make it quick!” 

“Iruka.” Inoichi let out a shaky breath, there was more blood pooling around his body and Iruka found himself closing his eyes. “Untie me and we can--” 

Iruka did as he was told, even as Inoichi started having a coughing fit. He paused for a moment before he put his hands together in a seal and turned so that he was facing the mob. 

Iruka took a breath. 

“Iruka, what are you--” Inoichi’s words faded out as Iruka concentrated on his center, remembering his mother’s words from so long ago as he tried to pull what chakra he had left to his abdomen. He took another breath before he opened his eyes and glared at the men around him. 

“Stop!” Iruka barely got the whole word out, the pain was instant. It felt like his he had been cut in half, the chunin suddenly falling forward to cough up blood. His hair falling around his face as he blinked through the pain. 

There was more jeering from outside the barrier and Iruka could feel it weaken even more with the onslaught of the crowed. Iruka had a feeling, that if he lived, he was probably going to be banned from leaving the village ever again. Iruka felt the blood drip out of his mouth as he held his fingers together. 

He could do it. 

He could do it, he just had to--

“Sto--” Iruka didn’t even manage the whole word as his world spun sideways. He managed to stay upright this time but it took him a few seconds to split all the blood on the ground. Iruka bit his lip as he put his hands together. 

He could do this. 

He had to. 

“Iruka, don’t.” Inoichi voice was small as the older man wheezed from where he was on the ground. Iruka didn’t have to turn to him to know that Inoichi was bleeding out, but at least he was in a better state than Hayate. 

Iruka wasn’t even sure Hayate was breathing anymore. 

“You--you’re going to kill yourself...if...if you keep trying.” Inoichi’s voice sounded garbled before he coughed out more blood. 

The chunin knew his teacher was right, he could feel how his own chakra was causing more and more damage to himself but it was all he had. 

This was their only chance. 

Mom, Iruka thought as he closed his eyes to concentrate. He knew they were surrounded, the barrier was going to be broken at any moment and then they would all be dead. He couldn’t let that happen, he wouldn’t. Mom, help me. Just this once, please, show me how it was done. 

Iruka held his hands together and concentrated on his chakra. Remembering what his mother had told him about control, about how important it was that he didn’t force this. His voice was a weapon. 

His voice was a weapon. 

His voice--

\---

Mission Report, log: 65.3487D  
Assignment: Acquisition  
Team: Inoichi Yamanaka; captain, Hayate Gekkou, Iruka Umino 

Status: Pissed. 

I’ll correct the status before I turn this in, I know Iruka will check this report when he’s okay and I don’t want him to see how unprofessional I was with this but I am pissed. 

None of this makes sense. 

What killed those 87 men? All their injuries were superficial at best, but they were all dead. 

Why wouldn’t Inoichi-san wake up? His wounds, while bad, were the easiest to treat of his team but he wouldn’t wake up no matter what we did. We ended up putting him in stasis just in case but there was no reason he shouldn’t have been conscious after I treated him. 

I’ve decided to blame Hayate for all of this. So when he wakes up, I want whoever is processing this report to show him that I knew all along that this was his fault. 

It’s always Hayate’s fault. 

Report finished. 

Izumo Kamizuki  
Chunin; 012049

\---

Jiraiya wasn’t sure what was happening but he knew one thing...it wasn’t good. 

He had been traveling the coast, making his way back home, when he had come across an interesting list he had wanted to show the old man. Jiraiya figured Hiruzen-sensei would already know what the list was about but he liked to jump in every now and then to keep the old man on his toes. 

That of course doesn’t explain why Jiraiya was staring at a town that was burning itself to the ground. 

Jiraiya found himself leaving the water and climbing onto the docks with a frown. The older man paused as he stared at the first building, it was clearly the first one that had been set on fire and he could tell from the smell that people had been inside. The sannin closed his eyes in a silent prayer before he made his way further in, it was hard to hear anything over the flames but he was sure he heard some yelling. 

Jiraiya was almost amused, he only needed to follow the man-made destruction before he came upon a mob of men screaming at something. Jiraiya found some ruins to climb to get a better idea of what was happening before his eyes widened at the sight of the kids behind the barrier. 

That Inoichi brat looked like he was trying to stop something, there was another kid that Jiraiya thought he remembered from the hospital when he harassed Tsunade and then there was Kohari and Ikkaku’s child. 

Iruka. 

Iruka was making a very dangerous hand sign. 

Jiraiya saw the barrier crack the only thing protecting the mob from Iruka’s jutsu and the sannin realized he only had a moment as his fingers twisted together in seals. There was a shattering noise followed by a scream but Jiraiya already had his hands on the ground as he was enveloped in frog intestines. 

He only hoped that he had managed to get Inoichi and Hayate in time, he wasn’t sure if they were conscious but if they were then he didn't want them hearing whatever command Iruka was shouting. 

Jiraiya took a breath before he undid the summoning and found himself staring a bodies. 

A sea of bodies. 

Of very dead bodies. 

“Iruka-kun, what have you done?” The older man closed his eyes for a moment before he made his way to the Leaf shinobi, only to break out into a run as he saw the blood. 

This was not good. 

Kohari’s jutsu shouldn’t have done this kind of damage, not if Iruka had known what he was doing. 

“Hey, brats! Don’t you dare die on me!” Jiraiya fell to his knees at Iruka’s side, pulling the kid up before realizing that his hands were covered in blood. 

Covered in Iruka’s blood. 

“You idiot!” Jiraiya hissed as he tried to fix some of the damage but it seemed to be too much. He growled before he crawled over to Inoichi, only to see the older man unconscious with something in his hand. Jiraiya reached over and found himself holding a flare. “This is outdated, even for me…” 

Even as he spoke, Jiraiya lit the flare and send it flying to the sky. He wasn’t sure what kind of back up this team could have but he hoped that they did have back up. This was going to go from bad to dire if Jiraiya didn’t have someone to help him. 

And soon. 

\---

Kakashi yawned as he spotted the village gates. His time with Ebisu and Konohamaru was finally coming to an end but the jonin found himself a little wistful. 

He’d had fun. 

“As soon as we get back I’m going to show uncle Asuma everything that I learned.” Konohamaru ran a circle around both the men, a kid with never ending energy who smiled at his teacher. “And then, maybe, I can challenge grandpa to a fight. I bet I could take him now, right, Ebisu-sensei?” 

“Well…” Ebisu laughed, rubbing the back of his head as he stared at his pupil. “I’m sure you’ll be able to surprise him, which is a victory in itself since he is the Hokage.” 

Konohamaru smiled wider at that before he ran another lap around them men. Kakashi let out an amused breath before he turned to Ebisu. “What are you going to do now that you’re home?” 

“Ah.” Ebisu smiled before he leaned a little towards Kakashi, as if to share a secret. Kakashi had gotten used to this sort of behavior and couldn’t help but smile under his mask. “Before we left I heard that Jiraiya-sama’s next book was going to be released so I made sure to order it so that it would be waiting for me.” 

Damn. 

Kakashi hadn’t thought of that before he left. 

Ebisu seemed to notice Kakashi’s worry and pat the man on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Kakashi-san, I made sure to fill out an order for you as well when I learned that you would be on this mission. Fans like us can’t let Jiraiya-sama down, now can we?” 

Kakashi turned to Ebisu, grabbing the man’s hand in gratitude. “Thank you.” 

Both men shared their moment, before laughing, Konohamaru paused as he ran back over to them with a frown. “What are you guys talking about?” 

“Only the affairs of adults.” Ebisu laughed, waving Konohamaru off as they walked under the gates. The group made their way to the check-in station, Ebisu smiling brightly at Kurenai. “Kurenai-san, it has been a while.” 

The first sign that something was wrong was Kurenai’s quick glance at Konohamaru before she gave Ebisu a smile. The folded some hair behind her ears before she stopped Ebisu from filling out the paperwork. “Kakashi, they need you at the hospital.” 

“The hospital?” Kakashi felt his posture straighten at that. 

“Is Uncle Asuma okay?” Konohamaru’s eyes were big as he stared at the older woman. She gave Konohamaru a small nod that had the boy relaxing a bit before his eyes got bigger. “It’s not gran--” 

“The Hokage is fine.” Kurenai took a breath before she looked Konohamaru in the eye with a soft smile. “Your uncle is with him at the hospital but they are both fine. Your uncle helped save some lives and he’s staying at the hospital to make sure that the other team pulls through.” 

“So cool…” Konohamaru whispered under his breath before he turned to Ebisu. “Can we go visit them, before you take me back home? Please?” 

“I don’t kn--” Ebisu scratched the back of his head before Kurenai interrupted him. 

“You should.” She smiled and Ebisu smiled back with a grateful nod before he motioned for Konohamaru to continue on the path. Kurenai turned her attention back to Kakashi as the two got out of hearing range and she grabbed her friend’s arm. “Kakashi, it’s not good.” 

“I’ll go there now, do you know the name I should look for?” Kakashi tried to steel himself, almost afraid that she might mention Gai’s name. 

Don’t let it be Gai. 

“It’s Iruka.” She kept her grip tight on his arm as he flinched at the name. Kurenai’s eyes hard as she looked him over. “Kakashi, take a breath.” 

Kakashi didn’t know why she was still holding on to him. Or why she was telling him to breathe, he could breathe on his own, he had for the past 24 years, he didn’t need--Kakashi took in a deep breath--he hadn’t realized how tense he had gotten as she held on to him. Kurenai loosened the grip on his arm as his posture relaxed a bit more with each breath. 

The jonin found that he couldn’t meet her eyes for a few moments before she spoke again. 

“Go in through the back, they are trying to keep this silent.” She released his arm then and Kakashi gave her a nod before he transported to the hospital, making sure to take the ANBU entrance. 

It was fine. 

Iruka was alive, if Iruka had been dead then they wouldn’t need him there. 

Why did they need him there?

Kakashi made his way through the halls, hating how the place made his skin itch as he found himself going further into the private wing of the hospital. He made his way into the main waiting room and found himself face to face with Asuma who looked like he was about to step out, unlit cigarette in his hand. 

“Kakashi…” Asuma almost sounded relieved as he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and slit it into his pocket. He turned and made his way back into the room, Kakashi hot on his heels, as they passed a few rooms. 

Kotetsu and Izumo were sitting outside of Hayate’s room, where Kakashi spotted Yugao sitting next to the man’s bed. Hayate was either asleep or unconscious and Kakashi found himself glad that it wasn’t anything worse. 

The next room had a female chunin standing outside of it, Kakashi remembered her as Hoso, someone who had been a chunin for longer than he had been a jonin. She looked tired as she stood outside the room, it was only when Kakashi passed that he realized Inoichi was in the same state as Hayate, the man’s wife holding his hand as he cried next to his bed. 

It was only as they made it to the third room that Kakashi remembered who he had been sent here for and he felt his stomach turn to ice. There was no one standing outside the door, Asuma opening it loudly as he all but shoved Kakashi into the room. “He’s here.” 

“Ah, thank you.” The Hokage glanced up from where he was sitting next to Iruka’s bed. The chunin, unlike his teammates, was awake and pale. Kakashi had never seen Iruka look so ashen, the jonin took a step forward as if he was going to move to Iruka’s side before he remembered himself and turned to the Hokage and the other men in the room. 

Jiraiya was leaning against the window with a frown, the older man staring outside as if it would give him better answers than what he had been getting. Shikaku and Choza stood behind the Hokage, and it was with Shikaku’s nod that Choza took a breath and turned to Iruka with a smile. “I’ll be in the hall, just shout---just send Asuma out if you need anything from me.” 

Iruka nodded a that, mouthing his thanks slowly so that the other man could read his lips before he signed. Check on team.

“I will.” Choza gave Iruka a small smile before he bowed to the room and left. Kakashi glanced at Asuma, waiting for more information but was only met with silence. 

“Ebisu and Konohamaru are making their way here.” Kakashi found his eyes traveling back to Iruka who seemed unsure as to why Kakashi was here to begin with. “We should make this quick before they realize you aren’t in the public wing.” 

“I’m sure Kurenai informed Ebisu that you were need.” The Hokage huffed, and Kakashi found himself nodding. She had been sure to tell Kakashi that he was needed in front of Ebisu. “Then Ebisu knows to take his time, I’m sure he has found something to distract my grandson for a few moments.” 

“Iruka.” Shikaku motioned to both Kakashi, Asuma, and Jiraiya as he glanced at the chunin. “Asuma and Jiraiya are here to answer any questions you might have, but Kakashi is here to help you answer questions we might have. Do you understand?” 

“What happened to his voice?” Kakashi asked, his mouth moving on it’s own as Iruka nodded at the same time. Iruka seemed to freeze slightly at the question before he turned to Kakashi and motioned towards his face. 

Iruka’s hair was flat and around his shoulders, he almost seemed younger as he made a motion across his eye as if he was lifting an eye patch before pointing at Kakashi. There was a brief second where Kakashi waited for the Hokage to nod at him before the jonin lifted his head band to reveal his sharingan. As soon as the pin wheel spun, Iruka started moving his lips. 

“We need you to tell us what he is saying, talking with hand signals is taking too long.” Shikaku clarified for Kakashi but the jonin didn’t need to be told twice. 

“Iruka used his mother’s jutsu.” Kakashi made sure to keep an eye on Iruka’s hands as the chunin was trying to sign some things at the same time. Iruka’s hands were bandages, as if his fingers had been broken and it was causing his signs to be slow and stilted even has his mouth moved at a normal place, not slowing down for Kakashi at all. “Iruka completed the mission before he was knocked unconscious by the explosions that were meant to go off later. When he came to, the enemy had thrown him with Inoichi and Hayate’s bodies--” 

“Judging by their states, the enemy most likely thought that Inoichi and Hayate would bleed out.” The Hokage interrupted Iruka, who turned his attention from the older man with a quick glance before he stared down as his blanket. “Iruka-kun, I need you to tell me why you used your mother’s jutsu.” 

“What jutsu is that?” Asuma asked, it gave Kakashi a moment to realize that while Kohari had been a well respected shinobi in her own right -- majority of the village hadn’t known of her jutsu or her name under ANBU. If Asuma had known that she was called Siren then the other jonin wouldn’t have asked that question. 

Siren was still feared across other villages, even to this day. 

Jiraiya let out a sigh that had Iruka flinching before he put his pinched his nose with his hand and glared at the Hokage. “Hiruzen-sensei, we don’t need to waste Iruka-kun’s energy with these questions. We have confirmation about the jutsu so now we know--” 

“Iruka.” Shikaku’s voice interrupted Jiraiya, causing the room to go silent. Iruka didn’t bother looking up at the jonin commander and Kakashi wondered if it was because the chunin knew what the man was going to ask. “Iruka, when you used your mother’s jutsu, what did you say?”

Iruka glanced up at the other man, as if to plead with him before he turned to Kakashi, his mouth already moving as Kakashi spoke for him out loud. “There wasn’t much time, the barrier was weak due to Iruka’s chakra shortage and there was only a moment before he knew his team would die.” 

Iruka’s mouth kept moving, though Kakashi couldn’t follow a few words because Iruka was had stopped trying to communicate. The chunin gripped the blanket in his lap as he started to mouth one word, over and over again. Kakashi wanted to go over there, to grab the chunin’s hands and tell him it was going to be okay but he knew that it wouldn’t be allowed, he had lost that right and wasn’t allowed that familiarity anymore. 

Kakashi took a breath, realizing that Iruka knew to some degree what he had done as the jonin turned to the room. “Iruka told them to stop. He only had time to say one word and he told them to stop.”

The hokage and Shikaku frowned, Kakashi found himself turning his attention to Jiraiya but it was Asuma who broke the silence. The larger man staring at Iruka in confusion. “You killed them, it was you? Those men who had been surrounding you, all of them dead, because you told them to stop.” 

Kakashi couldn’t take his eyes off Iruka as guilt and understanding settled across his features. If he was saying anything, Kakashi couldn’t see it, because Iruka had pulled his legs up, hiding his face in his knees. Jiraiya sent a glare at Asuma before going over to Iruka’s bed and placing a hand on the chunin’s head, it looked like he was about to say something but Shikaku spoke first. 

“This is why Inoichi hasn’t woken up, despite the fact that his wounds have been healed. Hayate might be unconscious due to his injuries, but we’ve been able to wake him up several times.” Shikaku’s voice wasn’t cold, it was just stating the fact and Kakashi found himself hating the man as Iruka pulled his head up to stare at the other man in shock. 

“Now wait.” Jiraiya started. “I was there for that part, I put myself and Inoichi in my frog’s intestines to make sure we weren’t affected--” 

“He was too close.” Kakashi found himself regretting the fact that he had spoken as soon as the words were out of his mouth, but Kakashi had seen Kohari’s jutsu in action and knew the damage it could do. “You might have shielded him, which is what saved his life, but he was too close to Iruka’s intent.” 

The room was silent and except for the pained noise that escaped Iruka’s throat, The chunin opening his mouth as if to actually say something before making another noise and turning over to cough to the side. Hiruzen was at his side in an instant, the Hokage’s hands glowing green as they landed on Iruka’s throat. 

“That was stupid, my academy instructor should know better than to disobey a direct order.” The Hokage’s words might have sounded cold but his voice was soft as he gave Iruka a sad smile. “Iruka, Inoichi is a alive.” 

Iruka shook his head, almost as if he was calling the Hokage a liar. 

“He’s alive.” Shikaku sighed before he made his way to the door. “We don’t know when or if he’ll wake up, but now I know what to look for. Thank you.” 

Asuma seemed torn to follow Shikaku out of the room to demand more answers or to stay with his father and Iruka but one glance at the Hokage seemed to tell Asuma his only option and the other jonin left the room, making sure to shut the door behind him. 

“Iruka.” Jiraiya glanced back at Kakashi before he turned to the chunin who had gone limp after the Hokage had healed him. The chunin turned to the older man almost listlessly. “Iruka, Kohari’s jutsu should not have done this kind of damage to you. I have seen it in action many times and while she could lose her voice because of extended--” 

Iruka closed his eyes and started mouthing words again and Kakashi took it as his cue, though he wished he could leave to give Iruka the privacy that the chunin clearly desired at this moment. “Iruka says that his mother’s jutsu shouldn’t have done this damage, not if Iruka had done it right.” 

“What do you mean?” The hokage sat back, giving the chunin space even as Iruka never opened his eyes. 

“He means…” Kakashi sighed as Iruka’s lips stopped moving. The chunin clearly unable to finish mouthing what he wanted to say but Kakashi knew the answer, as much as he wished he didn’t, he knew. “Iruka was never taught her jutsu by Kohari, he was self-training with her notebooks but he had never--” 

Kakashi let his words die there, letting them men take in the information. 

Iruka had never learned the jutsu from his mother, something that was so advanced that it had taken Kohari decades to perfect. Not only that, but Iruka had tried to force the jutsu out, nearly chakra depleted and fighting for his life. 

It was no wonder those men had died instantly and Iruka was in such a state. 

“As your hokage, I am forbidding you from ever using this jutsu again.” The old man sighed before he grabbed Iruka’s hand, making the chunin open his eyes to look at him. “Iruka, we are still unsure if your voice will come back, there is a lot of things that we won’t be able to know until we see how it heels and this could take time.” 

Iruka nodded his understanding before glancing back at Kakashi. The chunin seemed to be about to say something before he sighed and closed his eyes again. 

Kakashi briefly wondered if there was anything left to say, as the Hokage continued to speak softly to Iruka. The jonin pulling his headband down as he turned his attention to Jiraiya who nodded towards the door. 

It was time to give Iruka and the Hokage some space. 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:  
> -Canon Violence  
> -Near death experience  
> -Self harm to try and save lives (Iruka uses his mother's jutsu and it nearly kills him)  
> -Lots of people dying. 
> 
>  
> 
> So, I've been setting up stuff for a while but I've been a little subtle about it--but hopefully not too subtle. I've always intended to being Tenyo back, but other story stuff popped up and it ended up taking longer than I intended. Haha. 
> 
> As always, I hope you guys like this chapter! I didn't get to spend as much time on is as I wanted to, mainly because I want to make sure that I post to you guys once a week, but I am happy with how it came out. We will finally be getting more interactions between Kakashi and Iruka, starting in the next chapter!
> 
> Thank you for your kudos and comments!


	15. You Burn So Brightly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka and Kakashi don't know what they want, but one thing is for sure, there are no secrets in this village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY!
> 
> Had a few things pop up but I'm finally back to updating this story! Really excited to get back to working with these characters and building up to all the moments that I've been building up in this story for some time. 
> 
> Hope you like this update!

(STORY NOTE:  **bolded** words are for when characters are lip-reading what Iruka is saying)

\---

Seven days.

Iruka had been staring at this ceiling for seven days.

The chunin stared into the darkness. He could make out the shapes of the ceiling tiles and the lights, even through the darkness of the night. He had no windows, he had been stuck in the underbelly of the hospital with his teammates and only had access to extremely limited visitors. Iruka closed his eyes as he felt the pain in his throat.

Inoichi still hadn’t woken up.

The chunin had gotten a glimpse of Hayate yesterday, his teammate had been awake for days and had been deemed well enough to walk around so Iruka had seem him for a brief moment outside his door but they hadn’t had a chance to say anything.

Not that Iruka could say anything.

Even if he had the ability to speak, Iruka wasn’t sure what he would have said to Hayate. That he was glad Hayate had been so far gone in battle that Iruka’s jutsu hadn’t been able to work? That he was sorry about what he had done to their sensei? Iruka knew his friend well enough to know that any of those words would be pointless.

There was a small shift in the air and it was the only sign that something had changed in his room.

Which brought Iruka to his other problem, as if almost killing your team on a retrieval mission wasn’t a bad enough weight to bare on his shoulders -- now he had to deal with an unwanted guest. Iruka took a breath and sat up, making sure to give his intruder a bored glance as he sat up against his pillows.

At the very least, it was nice to know that Kakashi wasn’t avoiding him anymore.

The jonin seemed unsure of what to do for a moment, before went over to the stand and poured Iruka a glass of water and handed it to him. The chunin took it with mouthed ‘thank you’ before he took a sip and motioned for Kakashi to have a seat on the stool.

“I’m sure you’ll be told in the morning but you and your team are being moved to the public wing soon.” Kakashi scratched on his mask, the only sign of his discomfort. Iruka didn’t know if it was the hospital causing this or the fact that this was the third day of Kakashi’s nightly visits. “You should sleep more.”

Iruka smiled lightly at that before he glanced up, wondering if Kakashi was tired of such a one-sided conversation. He pointed at Kakashi hoping to get his point across.

**_You’ve gotten less sleep than I have._** It was a little weird, to just be mouthing the words without being able to use his voice, but Iruka was slowly getting used to it. It helped that his fingers had healed so that he would be able to sign at the same time, in case Kakashi missed anything.

Iruka refused to let the joinin use the sharingan for these visits. Kakashi was already seeing him at a low, he didn’t need it burned in the jonin’s memory forever.

“I get what I need.” Kakashi murmured, eyeing Iruka’s fingers as if he wanted to check their healing himself. Iruka let his hands play with the blanket for a bit before Kakashi asked Iruka a question that startled the chunin. “Is it okay for me to be here?”

These visits had mostly been small talk, Kakashi updating Iruka on what was happening around the village or what was happening with his teammates. More often than not, they were quiet, Iruka often drifting off to sleep with Kakashi still in the room before he even realized it.

Was it okay for Kakashi to be here?

Iruka didn’t know.

Iruka didn’t even know if he wanted Kakashi to be here. He didn’t know why Kakashi was here or what was going through Kakashi’s head every night that he showed up...but the chunin did know that the idea of sitting in this room by himself brought a different sort of pain to his chest. The idea of Kakashi going back to ignoring him made the pain even worse.

Kakashi’s voice had been soft and Iruka found himself staring at the jonin in confusion. **As if I could stop you--**

“That’s not what I meant.” Kakashi glanced at the door for a moment before turning to Iruka. “Not many know you’re here, so I thought it might be nice to get visitors…”

**In the middle of the night?** Iruka smiled softly before he glanced down at the white blanket over his lap. He didn’t know if he should be touched that Kakashi was clearly worried about him or be bothered by the fact that Kakashi was doing this out of some sort of pity. He let out a sigh before he lifted his head to give Kakashi another smile. **Thank you for making the--**

“Iruka.” Kakashi’s voice was harsh and it caused Iruka to flinch before he finally let his eyes meet the older man’s. Kakashi seemed angry for a moment before the jonin lifted his arm with some hesitation and placed a hand over Iruka’s. “I’m here because...I want to be.”

Iruka’s face flushed as he stared at Kakashi with wide eyes.

What…

Kakashi glared harder towards Iruka and the chunin couldn’t figure out what he had done to get that sort of look before the jonin tsk’d under his mask and took his hand away. Iruka flexed his fingers, wondering if the heat was from Kakashi’s hand or his own flushed skin. Iruka moved his mouth a few times, trying to find words that he wasn’t going to be able to say and found himself staring at Kakashi.

What did that mean?

“I’ve overstayed my welcome.” Kakashi was on his feet in an instant and Iruka only had a moment to reach out and grab the other man’s wrist. The jonin could have broken out easily, Iruka still didn’t have the strength he needed to keep Kakashi still but it seemed Kakashi didn’t mind as he let himself be held back.

**Kakashi, I’m tired.** Iruka tried to think of the right words to say as he stared up at the other man. **I’m tired and confused...I...I…**

Iruka glanced down at the bed knowing what he wanted to say, he had several things he wanted to say, but not knowing how Kakashi would respond to any of them. Would anything be the right thing to say? ‘I don’t want to get my hopes up.’ ‘I don’t want to be hurt by you again.’ ‘I don’t think we are good for each other.’

Yeah, Iruka didn’t know what to say.

Maybe he was jumping the gun, maybe this wasn’t a play for something more. Maybe Iruka was in a fever state from his lack of sleep...maybe...

There was a sigh above him and Iruka felt rough fingers slide against his cheek. The chunin glanced up, knowing that his face was heating up just from the contact as Kakashi’s eyes softened when their eyes met. “Is it okay for me to visit you again...during the day?”

Iruka felt his eyes get heavy as he leaned into Kakashi’s touch, giving the older man a nod.

The chunin didn’t know what to think as he closed his eyes, he couldn’t remember being so tired. He had a second of wondering if Kakashi had done something but then realized it didn’t matter because he finally getting some much, much needed sleep.

\---

Kakashi was an idiot.

The jonin sighed as made sure to pull the blanket over the sleeping teacher’s form before he made his way out of the room. Iruka had looked so confused and even Kakashi had to admit that he wasn’t quite sure what he was doing himself.

Kakashi just couldn’t let go of the feeling that had coursed through him when Kurenai had told him that Iruka had been in the hospital. He had been afraid that he had truly lost Iruka--which had been ridiculous as  Kakashi had forced himself from Iruka a long time ago.

And now here he was, trying to do something.

He just wanted Iruka back in his life...well, that wasn’t quite true. He wanted to be able to be there for Iruka and not because his skills were needed, he wanted to be able to hold Iruka’s hand and know it was going to be allowed...he wanted…

“A little late for a visit.” A scratchy voice and a cough was what greeted Kakashi in the hall as he shut the door to Iruka’s room. The man was in the standard hospital gown but had a robe around his shoulders to shield him from the cold air of the sterile hospital.

Kakashi paused, tapping his foot on the ground a few moments before he put his hands in his pockets and walked over. “He’s resting now, like I imagine you should be.”

Hayate let out a raspy breath, Kakashi’s eyes trailing over the man’s body as he remembered the injuries that had found the special jonin with. Hayate had going through rehab, at least Kakashi had been told, but it was clear that it would be a while before Hayate could go back to full active duty.

“Kakashi...you should give him space.” Hayate sighed as if he hadn’t wanted to say the word but he wasn’t going to take them back now that they were out there.

“Is that what you’re doing?” Kakashi actually did regret those words as Hayate flinched at them. He had known that the other man hadn’t visited his teammate yet and knew that there was probably more to it than just plain avoidance.

“I forgot how bitchy you are.” Hayate let out another breath before he forced himself up onto his crutch, waving off any of Kakashi’s help.

“...” Kakashi watched Hayate limp back to his room before shutting the door. He jonin stood in the empty hall for a few seconds before shaking his head at his own mistakes and making his way home.

He needed to get some sleep.

\---

It had taken two days before Iruka woke up in a different room.

There was a noise, like a scraping or a slicing. Iruka found himself opening his eyes slowly, the pain in his chest and throat seemed dulled which meant his doctor had already come by. The noise continued as Iruka stared at the ceiling, noticing something different about the tiles.

Iruka didn’t even have a chance to jump up before a hand was holding him firmly to the mattress and the chunin blinked over to see Anko smiling down at him, a half skinned apple with a knife stabbed through it in her hand that wasn’t holding Iruka down. “Now, now, I know they moved you while you were sleeping but from what I hear you are still very injured.”

Iruka took a deep breath, almost in awe that his new room had a window. He could see the tops of some of the buildings outside.

“Are you--Iruka, what happened?” Anko’s hold on him lightened as she put the apple down. Her hand stroking his shoulder and then the side of his neck as Iruka took in another breath. He didn’t understand her concern until he felt a different sort of pain in his throat.

He was crying.

All it took was a glimpse of this village and Iruka was brought to tears.

“Hey Anko, I got--what did you do?” Iruka choked at Hayate’s growling, the chunin sitting up as Anko defended herself from the pale and limping special jonin.

“I didn’t do anything!” Spluttered Anko, pointing at Iruka accusatorily. “He just started crying at the sight of the sky! I mean, I know you guys had a rough few days but that’s a crazy reaction to have!”

Iruka opened his mouth and stopped as a flair of pain reminded him of why he was there in the first place. Anko and Hayate both noticed his flinch and Anko’s eyes narrowed before she turned her attention to Hayate but before she could say anything Hayate was already shaking his head. “Anko, could you give us a minute?”

Iruka watched as a silent conversation happened between his two friends before Anko grabbed the apple she had been peeling and threw it at Hayate. She put her knife back in her pouch and gave Iruka a smile before she glared at Hayate and left the room like a whirlwind that she was.

“Sorry…” Hayate coughed as he made his way through the room. “I wanted to be here when you woke up.”

Iruka just shook his head, no apology needed from his friend, but he sat up straighter as Hayate pulled back the curtain that had been near the door revealing that Iruka did in fact have a roommate.

Inoichi looked pale.

He looked so pale. Inoichi looked better than the last time Iruka had seen him, bleeding out in the dirt on another village’s soil territory, but he was still unconscious.

Because of Iruka’s actions.

“I’m not showing him to hurt you.” Hayata spoke softly, suddenly by Iruka’s side as he sat on the stool next to Iruka’s bed. “I wanted you to see that he’s alive. That’s he here, still with us.”

Iruka nodded, wiping his eyes as he glanced at Hayate. His friend met Iruka’s eyes with an unfaltering gaze and Iruka felt his eyes glance down, almost afraid of what he was going to see...after all, Iruka had almost killed all of them.

“Thank you.” Hayate’s voice was soft, Iruka’s eyes going wide as he glanced back up so that they could meet each other’s gazes. Iruka was already shaking his head as Hayate gave him a soft smile. “Since you can’t talk it means you can’t argue with me, I’m sorry that I haven’t had a chance to see you yet. You were probably beating yourself up every single day and not listening to sense.”

Iruka shook his head again, his eyes stinging as he forced himself to not cry as Hayate grabbed his face so he couldn’t shake his head anymore. “Iruka, stop.”

“Thank you for saving our lives. If it wasn’t for you, we would have died.” Hayate squeezed on Iruka’s cheeks as the chunin tried to open his mouth. “Iruka, we were going to die. What you did, while incredibly dangerous--and it was stupid, so stupid--it saved our lives. Inoichi-sensei will wake up eventually, and I’m alive, because of you.”

Iruka felt like the world was spinning, he could hear every word that Hayate was saying but he couldn’t bring himself believe it. Hayate must have seen something in Iruka’s face before he released Iruka with a sigh. “We’ll get back to that once you can actually talk again, in the meantime, I’m going to let Anko back in here. Just so you know, the mission was labeled classified, so most only know the basic facts. We were sent on a mission, we succeeded in our objective and were seriously injured.”

Iruka nodded quickly, happy to change the subject and happy to let Anko back in the room. He knew that the longer she was out there the more likely she was going to cause havoc on some poor patient at the hospital.

Especially if Genma had been checked in recently.

She really liked making Genma’s life hell.

Hayate had barely touched the door before Anko was kicking it open with a fierce grin. “About time, ladies, I thought I was going to die of boredom out there!”

Iruka couldn’t help but smile as she started hassling Hayate.

He had missed her.

The days in the hospital eventually started blurring together. Iruka could barely keep track of how long he had been there. The constant need for work on his chakra network was causing strain on his whole body. Every day a consistent blur of doctors, the hokage, and Inoichi’s family, with the occasional visit from a friend as well.

Kakashi had even come by once, with Gai hot on his heels, but Iruka appreciated the gesture. The older man hadn’t said a word, just would help read Iruka’s lips for Gai who was extraordinarily bad at it. Iruka found himself almost wistful for the quiet moments they had shared in the middle of the night, but he knew better than to let it show on his face. He would just be happy with the friendship that Kakashi was clearly trying to establish.

It was the day after Ino had come to visit that Iruka woke up with something heavy against his side. The teacher turned his head to see a head of blond hair and found himself swearing.

Naruto.

He had forgotten about Naruto.

The kid let out a snore and Iruka didn’t bother hiding the smile on his face. Naruto must have snuck in after hours and Iruka wondered if the blond had tried to get in earlier but had gotten trouble. The teacher pulled the blond fully on the bed so that the kid wouldn’t fall off the stool in the night.

“Good thing he’s a deep sleeper.” Iruka froze, trying to hide his smile, before he turned to Kakashi who was closing the window behind him.

**The window? I thought you were sneakier than that.** Iruka ignored how his heart beat a little faster, turning his face so that he was back to making sure Naruto wouldn’t roll off the bed as he made more room for the small child.

“Maa, sensei. Sometimes the obvious ways are the best, we can’t all fit through the vents like your students can.” Kakashi’s voice was soft, Iruka could hear the man move further into the room and Iruka found himself lifting his head to watch as Kakashi sat at the stool that Naruto had just been in.

**Vents?** Iruka took a glance at Naruto and wondered if he would be able to see the dust if it wasn’t for how dark it was in the room.

“There was a skirmish about your mail earlier, but I believe he protected it with his life.” Kakashi sounded tired and amused, Iruka wished he could see him more clearly but Iruka decided it was for the best. He let his hand play with Naruto’s hair for a moment before he sighed.

He would apologize to Naruto in the morning. He really hadn’t meant to forget the blond.

“Ino told the village where you were, I believe the rest of your students will be coming tomorrow if they can help it.” Iruka heard the telltale sign of a book opening and knew that Kakashi had brought his disgraceful novel with him for this visit. Iruka didn’t know whether he should get mad at Kakashi’s reading content or the fact that he should take better care of his eye--reading in the dark as his age…

There was a huff of laughter and Iruka blinked as he turned his attention to actually look at Kakashi. The older man was smirking underneath his mask, Iruka could tell. The teacher tried to glare as best he could in the dark and hoped that it didn’t look like a pout.

“I could hear you nagging, sensei.” Kakashi whispered, giving Iruka the answer for the question he hadn’t asked.

Iruka shrugged at that, with a slight grin, he wasn’t going to deny it.

They certainly made an odd pair, Iruka thought to himself as he eyed Kakashi in the dark room. The only light he had was from the hall and the window.

Kakashi looked good, he seemed relaxed in his uniform. Somehow the lanky man actually seemed comfortable in the stool by the bed as he propped his feet up against the bed frame. Iruka couldn’t help the way his eyes traveled down Kakashi’s form before making their way up to the man’s face as he casually read in the dark.

It was unfair.

So unfair.

Iruka didn’t know if he was pitiful or not, but all it took was a few late night conversations with Kakashi and he felt himself forgiving Kakashi of everything. Maybe it wasn’t forgiveness, so much time had passed that Iruka wasn’t sure what there was left to forgive. He had never been one to stay stuck in the past if he could help it and wasn’t heart break just another part of growing up.

Who was to say that Iruka wasn’t ready to get his heart broken again?

Iruka laughed lightly to himself, he was pitiful.

“Sensei.” Kakashi’s voice was warm as the other man glanced away from his book to glance up at Iruka. “You should get some rest, I’ll stay here a bit...if you don’t mind.”

Iruka shook his head with a smile and found himself laying back down in his pillow.

Just pitiful.

\---

It was warm.

Naruto couldn’t remember being so warm.

Maybe it was the time the heater in his apartment had broken over the summer, though that had been stifling -- Naruto had slept on his balcony or in the woods those few months. This warmth was nice, maybe it was because Naruto was on something soft or maybe it was the fingers gently petting his hair.

“Sensei, you should really let me move him.” The stern voice of the head nurse made Naruto remember how she had kicked him out of the hospital last night. “You are supposed to be resting.”

“He clearly doesn’t mind.” There was another woman’s voice this time, one Naruto knew from the school though he couldn’t think of her face.

“It’s just not done.” The nurse huffed. “Not to mention that he clearly broke in here after--”

“Iruka-sensei!” Naruto sat up suddenly, blushing bright red as he realized the fingers that had been in his hair had been his sensei’s. That the warmth and softness was from the fact that he was in Iruka-sensei’s hospital bed.

“Ack!” Naruto flung himself back as he tried to remember how he had gotten there. His feet went up as he fell off the bed -- not caring that the nurse was yelling at him now as he hit the ground. The blond remembered crawling through the vents before he had finally found Iruka’s room. Everyone had been asleep so Naruto had only planned to make sure that his sensei was okay but he had been so tired--

“I got all your mail!” Naruto got back to his feet and smiled at his teacher who was blinking at him in surprise. “It kept piling up on your desk but I kept putting it there like you asked me to and then I overheard Ino saying that you were in the hospital with her dad but I wasn’t allowed to come and visit with her and the girls so I tried to come on my own but--”

“That is enough racket out of you.” The angry nurse grabbed Naruto’s shirt to start pulling him out of the room. “Iruka-sensei must really rest, you’ve already been too much of a bother.”

“I’m allowed to visit him just like everyone else!” Naruto shouted turning to his teacher, “Right, sensei?”

Only...Iruka was quiet.

Why wasn’t Iruka saying anything?

“Sensei?” Naruto tried to keep the hurt from his voice as he saw Iruka make hand signals, he didn’t understand what his teacher was trying to say but Iruka never had an issue at telling people how he felt...unless...maybe…

Maybe he had finally gotten tired of--

“Let go of him.” Naruto and the nurse both froze as a giant bearded man appeared in the doorway. The nurse let go of her hold on Naruto instantly as she turned towards the new guest.

“Asuma-san! I’m sorry you saw such a--” The nurse prattled on but Naruto didn’t have time to stick his tongue out at her because the other woman who had been in the room was suddenly between Naruto and the nurse.

She knelt down so that she was at his eye level and smiled, her dark curls landing on her face in an attractive way. Naruto wondered if he could get that sort of detail in his sexy no jutsu. She turned Naruto back towards Iruka, who was still in the bed and shoved the blonde towards his sensei. “Iruka-kun lost his voice on his mission, so you have to be patient for his response.”

Naruto blinked at her before turning to Iruka who seemed relieved and embarrassed all at once.

“He can’t talk?” Naruto kept his eyes on Iruka who seemed to sag in relief before nodding his head and pointing at his throat. “Sensei, did you nag the bad guys that much? I’ve never heard of someone losing their voice on a mission before!”

Iruka’s face was flushed as he glared at Naruto, but Naruto could tell it wasn’t a real glare as he smiled back at his sensei.

“Nagged the bad guys?” The man who had been arguing with the nurse went over to the window to open it, eyeing the edges a bit for chuckling and turning to the woman. “Kurenai, I thought we were going to meet up front?”

“You’re slow.” Kurenai’s lips were red and Naruto turned away quickly, decided to ignore the other adults as he glared as his teacher.

“You said it was a simple mission!” Naruto crossed his arms, “But now you’re in the hospital, again! This isn’t the first time that I’ve visited you in here, you know?”

Iruka lifted his hands slowly, touching his forehead then his lips then his forehead again.

Naruto squinted his eyes at the gesture and Iruka smiled like he usually did when Iruka was repeating himself over again after a lesson. Naruto didn’t like that look but he figured he would deal with it. Iruka seemed to think for a moment before he motioned for at himself.

“You?” Naruto asked and tried not to feel too pleased with Iruka beamed at him. “Okay, what about you?”

Iruka clapped his hands together and bowed to Naruto in an exaggerated way. The blond tried to think of all the reasons of why he had seen people bow like that before and he rubbed his chin. “You want me to do you a favor?”

Iruka seemed to slump at that before he glanced at the other adults in the room who had been watching the whole thing. The man buy the window lit a cigarette and the woman rolled her eyes before smirking at Naruto. “He’s trying to say that he’s glad you came to visit him.”

“That’s what that means?” Naruto turned to Iruka. “You’re really bad at this, sensei.”

Iruka had that unhappy face again and Naruto realized that he needed to take his words back quickly. The blonde opened his mouth but before he could say anything there was a gasp from the behind the curtain in the room. Everyone froze as if they had been stuck in a jutsu before a loud beeping noise and then some rough coughing.

Iruka was trying to get to his feet as the other man, Asuma ran to the curtains and opened it. Naruto only got a glimpse of an old man with long blond hair, the man was pale and couldn’t seem to stop coughing. The woman was yelling something at Iruka who was now signing furiously at her and mouthing words that Naruto couldn’t follow, the blond didn’t have a chance to say anything as he was shoved out into the hall only to run into Ino and her mom.

Both seemed surprised to see him and seemed worried at the people running in the room. Naruto didn’t know what to say to them so he settled for doing his best to explain. “I think some old guy just woke up in there. They seemed really surprised by it all.”

Naruto had never been hugged by a girl before, let alone Ino, but the blonde decided to not make a big deal about it as she broke down into tears.

She must of really liked that old guy, to be this happy about him waking up from his nap.

Girls were weird.

\---

“You look awful.” Choza laughed as Inoichi groaned, trying to stay upright before giving up as Shikaku helped him fall back against his pillows. “But it’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back.” Inoichi sighed as he glanced to the other side of the room where Iruka was sleeping.

Shikaku saw where he was staring and shrugged. “They gave him a sedative while you were waking up so that he wouldn’t undo all the work they’ve been doing on his chakra network, he’ll wake up just fine in the morning.”

“But he’s going to be okay?” Inoichi turned to his two friends to see their expressions. “I’ve been briefed on everything that’s happened while I’ve been out, I got to see my wife and daughter, even got to speak to Hayate for a few moments. I’ve been awake for 16 hours and the most I can get about Iruka is that he has been sedated.”

“Well…” Choza scratched the back of his head, looking away.

“His damage might be permanent.” Shikaku sighed, Choza made a noise in protest but Shikaku waved him off. “It was only a matter of time before you found out, but even with all the work on his chakra network, the damage he did to himself is extreme.”

Inoichi let out a breath as if he had been waiting on that news before he shook his head. “Can he still teach?”

“We don’t know.” Shikaku kept his voice even as all three men glanced in Iruka’s direction. “And before you ask, we don’t know what that means about his shinobi career either.”

Inoichi closed his eyes at that and sat back on the pillows.

They would deal with it if the time came.

\---

Ino sighed as she finished signing her name at the guest desk. She always hated how the adults would talk to her at the main desk if she wasn’t with her mom, like she was just some child. But she was willing to deal with it if it meant that she could visit her dad without having to wait for her mom.

“Should I sign too?” Ino smiled at her friend and shook her head. Sakura smiled back and they took each other’s hands as they made their way down the hall.

They might not always get along but Sakura had been coming over to hang out with her everyday since Ino had learned that he dad had been injured. Ino was grateful that Sakura had been with her for the past few week, school was still out for another month and Ino was sure she would have gone mad if she had been left on her own.

They made their way down the hall, snickering when they passed a handsome man with a senbon in his mouth. He winked at both of them and Sakura dragged Ino quickly down the hall in embarrassment.

“Oh.” Sakura paused, Ino blinked a few times at her friend before seeing that they had made it to her father’s room. She was about to call out but then she noticed what had made Sakura pause in the first place. The door was cracked just enough so that they could see inside the room, luckily not at her father’s bed because Ino would have been horribly embarrassed if everyone had seen the face her father made when he slept, but they could see Iruka-sensei’s bed clearly.

Iruka-sensei was staring at this lap while the doctor spoke to him, Ino recognized Shikaku and Choza immediately but was surprised to see that they doctor talking was a Hyuuga.

Whatever they were saying, it didn’t look like good news.

“Ino.” A shadow blocked their view as Ino glanced up to see her dad frowning at her. The older man sighed a bit before he let himself out of the room and closed the door completely behind him. “Would you guys like to walk me to the cafeteria?”

“Yes!” Ino grabbed her father’s hand with a smile before pausing to glance at the door. “Umm…”

“Is Iruka-sensei okay?” Sakura’s voice was soft as she stared at the ground and Ino was glad that her friend had asked. Ino’s dad let out a breath before he smiled at both the girls.

“Iruka-sensei just needs some time.” Her dad ruffled both of their hair before he pat his own chest. “Not everyone is as strong as your dad, I’m almost back to 100%!”

“That’s cause you slept for a really long time.” Ino scoffed, letting go of her dad’s hand and grabbing Sakura’s as they made their way to the cafeteria. “Don’t worry, Sakura. If an old man like my dad can heal up just fine then a young man like Iruka-sensei should have no problem!”

“Hey--” Ino’s dad whined.

“Really, Ino-chan?” Sakura smiled brightly at Ino and Ino nodded quickly.

Ino knew it wasn’t as simple as that, for as much as the adults tried to simplify the world for kids, children understood a lot more than adults realized. Ino knew that he dad hadn’t just been sleeping for weeks, knew that it was a miracle that he was already moving around after a few days--she didn’t want to think about why Iruka-sensei was still here after all this time.

“Really.” Ino smiled at her friend and then at her dad. “It’ll work out.”

Ino honestly hoped that she was right.

\---

“I hear you’re going to be released tomorrow.” Kakashi landed on the roof of the hospital without a sound. Iruka, who Kakashi had been looking for in the hospital, was sitting on top of the newest water tower that had been installed on top of the hospital. The chunin didn’t acknowledge his existence, just continued to stare at the sliver of moon in the sky.

Kakashi waited for a few moments, trying to think of what to say before he just sighed and sat down next to the chunin. He made sure there was space between them but he kept his eyes on Iruka incase the teacher had anything to say.

He didn’t have to wait long.

**I might not be able to teach.** The words were mouthed effortlessly, as if Iruka had been saying them over and over again in his head. Kakashi bit his lip under his mask and waited, he knew there was more and knew that Iruka needed to acknowledge it. The jonin only had to wait a few more seconds before Iruka sighed and continued, **I might have to retire from being a shinobi.**

They sat in silence for a few more moments before Kakashi turned his attention to the moon with a shrug. “Could always be worse.”

Kakashi could feel Iruka stiffen next to him and didn’t wait for the chunin to throttle him before he continued. “You might not be able to do those things, that doesn’t sound like a definitive answer.”

Iruka did grab Kakashi at that, the chunin twisting Kakashi’s vest in his grip as he made the jonin face him. Kakashi found himself staring at Iruka’s face which seemed torn between hope and despair.

Only Iruka could make both emotions look attractive on his features.

**You...** Iruka started before he took a deep breath and pulled Kakashi to him.

The kiss was awkward.

Kakashi still had his mask on and Iruka was trying to bite his lips through it. Both their bodies were facing one way while Iruka pulled them tighter together.

It was amazing.

Kakashi separated enough to pull his mask down and crawl on Iruka’s lap. The jonin connecting both their lips in a much gentler kiss, his thumbs rubbing Iruka’s cheeks as the tears started. “Shh, it’ll be okay.”

Iruka shook his head and Kakashi let their lips brush together one more time before Iruka place his head on Kakashi’s shoulder and just held onto the jonin. They stayed like that until the moon disappeared behind the mountains, Iruka mouthing words into Kakashi’s neck that the jonin couldn’t read as Kakashi held him.

\---

“You mean you haven’t visited him yet?” Gai couldn’t stop the surprise in his voice as Mizuki glared at him. “I mean--”

Mizuki let out a breath, before his body relaxed and he gave Gai a small smile. “I planned to visit Iruka, several times, but something kept popping up.”

Gai nodded at that, missions had been coming in like crazy recently and every able bodied shinobi was being worked to the bone. Honestly, Gai wasn’t sure how Kakashi seemed to be making time for all his “secret” hospital visits but the green beast wasn’t about to discourage his rival from reconnecting with Iruka.

Gai liked Iruka.

“Since I heard he’s getting out soon, I decided to help him out with his class plans.” Mizuki laughed a bit at the paperwork in front of him. “The principle was going to let it sit but I feel like Iruka would appreciate having some of his course worked prepped before he returns.”

Gai beamed at that as he hit Mizuki on the shoulder. “Ah! What a great friend Iruka-sensei has, I’m sure he will cherish this work that you’ve done for him!”

Mizuki blinked at Gai a few times before offering a small smile. “I hope you don’t mind but I really--”

“Sure!” Gai took a step back and beamed at the room filled with teachers. They had gotten more comfortable around him the more times he had helped out at the academy and Gai was sad that he wasn’t going to be of service this year. “I didn’t mean to pry, I will definitely send Iruka-sensei your regards when I go to pick him up.”

“Yeah…” Mizuki turned back around so that Gai could only see his back. “Thanks.”

Gai gave the room a nod and a smile before he made his way out. If he wanted to pick up Iruka and Inoichi then he needed to hurry. He couldn’t wait to see their grateful faces when he told them he was the one escorting them home.

\---

“What are you doing?”

Kakashi blinked from where he had been reaching for a tomato. He glanced at his hand before turning to Asuma who was glaring at him with a cigarette in his mouth. The store clerk was glaring at Asuma, most likely for smoking near the produce, but it was clear that the clerk was going to wait and see how this went down before he said anything.

“I was thinking of have sliced tomato with dinner.” Kakashi turned back to the produce and realized the one had been reaching for was gone. With a quick glance he noticed an old lady smirking as she handed it over the to the clerk to buy.

Kakashi sighed.

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.” Asuma sighed right back as he put out the cigarette and crushed it in his portable ashtray. “I know you’ve been visiting Iruka, repeatedly.”

Kakashi glanced at Asuma, trying to get a read on his expression before turning back to the tomato selection. He figured it was a good question, the only problem was that Kakashi didn’t quite know what he was doing either but the jonin knew that Asuma would not like that answer.

“I knew it.” Asuma huffed before he shoved Kakashi out of the way so that he could pick up some of the fruits then he moved over to the vegetables. “Kurenai told me to just leave it alone and I planned to but let me tell you, you better actually be putting thought into this.”

“There is nothing to put thought into, we’re just spending time together.” Kakashi muttered and tried to ignore the look of disbelief coming from Asuma.

Considering Kakashi remembered that Iruka’s lips had tasted like tea last night, Kakashi probably wasn’t making a really solid argument.

“Kakashi, do you honestly think this is something you are ready for?” Asuma was moving quickly through the store, grabbing what he needed before he made it to the counter. Kakashi grabbed a tomato and added it with his other picks before getting behind Asuma. The jonin felt like he knew where this was going. “You’re both going through a lot and I’m not sure--”

“It’s because I burnt down my house, isn’t it?” Kakashi sighed as he got his change from the very nosy clerk and made his way out of the store. Asuma was staring at him like he was an idiot. “We’re just...”

“Spending time together, I heard you the first time but I don’t care if this is just trying to rekindle a friendship or if you're hoping to rekindle more…” Asuma paused in the middle of the street and poked Kakashi in the chest. “You guys are just going to hurt each other as you are now, you need to step back.”

Kakashi shoved Asuma’s arm away and hopped on the nearest roof, a blatant retreat but he knew that Asuma would follow him.

“He doesn’t need you to protect him.” Kakashi sighed as Asuma landed next to him.

“You’re right.” The large man agreed easily causing Kakashi to glare. “But he’s my dad’s favorite and you don’t want to be on the wrong side of the Hokage, do you?”

It was meant to be an empty threat, something to lighten the mood, but it fell flat on the mere fact that it was true.

“I’m pretty sure the Hokage hasn’t let his guard down around me since that assassination attempt…” Kakashi mumbled and ignored Asuma’s confused face. “I don’t plan to visit him today, if that makes you feel better.”

“Not really.” Asuma laughed as he held up the bag of groceries. “He was released this morning, Kurenai is making sure he’s all set at his place and I was assigned getting food so he wouldn’t starve when we left him.”

Kakashi didn’t respond to the news but he did hesitate on his next step.

Should he invite himself along? It wasn’t like Asuma hadn’t already been jumping to conclusions and it would be nice to see the teacher outside of those sterile rooms.

“I have a feeling that you’re going to nag me with your opinion regardless if I come or not.” Kakashi sighed as he glanced at his groceries. They were close to the barracks which meant that Kakashi could drop his food off and catch up to Asuma before they both saw Iruka.

Asuma sighed, as if this whole thing was Kakashi’s fault...maybe it was. “Just come, but promise me that you won’t hurt Konohamaru’s precious sensei?”

Kakashi honestly wanted to make that promise but knew better than to put it into words. They were both probably going to hurt each other with all of this but Kakashi wasn’t planning on stopping.

He didn’t think he could.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter. 
> 
> Again, sorry for the delay but I should be updated more consistently moving forward. Just had a lot of things pop up in life that took me away from all of this. That said, really really really happy to be back! Looking forward to your thoughts on this chapter!
> 
> Thank you for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> So this all started when I decided to re-read the manga recently. And then I watched the anime. And then I went back and read the fanfiction I wrote way back when where none of the canon had been established and realized that I wanted to do a new story but one that tried to stick to the canon. 
> 
> My original story was called 'Growing Pains' on ff.net. It's pretty bad but then again, I wrote it before we even knew who Obito was so there are a lot of errors. But it was a blast to write and I'm really excited for this new story. 
> 
> I love 'Naruto', and it was amazing to see the whole series come to an end. (Even if it is still going in a way.)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


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